Frightening Little Princess
by Hiding in the Shadow
Summary: The Ipswich Covenant isn’t the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only wa
1. Introductions

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Please tell me what you think! Please? Oh, and I'm currently putting this as "T" but that might change depending on reviewer feedback. But that will come later; for now please enjoy!

C-C-C

**1691- Ipswich Colony, Massachusetts**

The light of early evening was fading into the darkness of night. Lucas Simms sat on a bench outside his large home, staring into space. He had a strange feeling; a feeling that had been plaguing him for the majority of the past two days. He was sure that his friends had felt it as well, as his wife, Charlotte, had implored at dinner why he and his "brothers" were acting so strangely. All of the wives, it seemed, had noticed and they were worried. So worried, in fact, that all had insisted that the men met that night and try to discover why they felt so strangely.

Lucas and the others –Edwin Danvers, Oliver Parry, John Putnam, and Paul Garwin- believed their wives to be overreacting; Putnam in particular as he did not like to see the women dictating matters of the Covenant. In fact, he honestly didn't care for them at all, as his wife was no longer one of them, having lost her several years before to a decidedly nasty illness that no doctor, healer, or shaman that they found could diagnose. He was left widowed, childless, and bitter.

"Darling?" The sweet voice of his wife asked, "Are you well?" She continued walking out of the doorway and sitting next to her husband.

Looking to his wife, Lucas replied, "Yes Love." Charlotte rested her head on her husband's shoulder. Neither she nor her friends were comfortable when their husband's were out of sorts. Being who they were, it made their discomfort more extreme and less frequent. Charlotte tried to remain calm, fully convinced that her husband and the men he considered brothers were going to discover exactly what was wrong.

After several moments, a rustling reached Lucas's ear. He listened intently, not moving to avoid alarming his wife. Again he heard the noise, which was clearly coming from the side of the house, "Darling. Go inside. Stay away from the windows." He said. His tone was not that of request, Charlotte could tell, it was a demand. She knew her husband well and complied quickly as he rose and carefully made his way towards the noise.

Turning the corner around his home, Lucas was shocked at what he saw. A young girl, very petite with red hair, was trying to climb the apple tree situated not far from the house. The rustling must have been her skirt against the tree trunk. As he watched, the girl managed to grab one apple from the very bottom of the tree and yank it off. As she did so, several others fell to the ground. Quickly, she jumped down and gathered all of the rather unripe apples onto her petticoat.

"Excuse me!" Lucas called, causing the girl to look up. Her face showed extreme panic and her body soon caught up to that as she dropped all of the apples and ran in the opposite direction as quickly as possible, "Wait!" Lucas called again, running after her as she made her way towards the woods. She was very quick, but Lucas managed to keep up with her until she just entered the woods.

The girl weaved quickly between the trees and Lucas, completely unconsciously, used the Power to stop her. She squirmed in place, her arms tightly clenched to her sides, as Lucas scolded himself for being so careless. There was no way to explain to her why she couldn't move. Walking closer to the girl, Lucas saw that her squirming became less clenched, her arms pulling away from her body and her feet squishing into the mud. Quickly she turned, her body free and her eyes black as death. Lucas stopped in shock as she stared him down and shoved him back with a blast of Power.

Landing flat on his back, Lucas managed to get himself to a sitting position just in time to see the girl turn around, seeming almost as shocked as he was, and run again. This time, however, she didn't get far. Lucas watched as she leaned against a large tree, swayed for a moment, and collapsed. Standing quickly, not even bothering to brush the mud and dirt off of his pants, Lucas rushed over to the unconscious girl. He turned her over gently, moved her hair from her face, and took in her appearance. She was beautiful in a strange, animalistic way. Her face was perfect in proportion, but her high cheeks were flushed.

Lucas automatically felt compassion for the girl. She had been willing to steal and eat unripe apples and had clearly been frightened of him, as if thinking he was going to hurt her. She was very young, no more than twenty he was sure, and sick looking. Picking the girl up -shocked at just how light she was- Lucas turned for home. If she was willing to steal apples far from their peak, the least he could do was spare some food for her. Charlotte, he knew, had a soft spot for people in need and he could trust her to watch over the girl while he met with his brothers at their hidden meeting place.

C-C-C

**Present Day- Ipswich, Massachusetts**

Kate Tunney was undeniably feeling better. She'd been in the hospital for just over a week and soon, she knew, they were going to release her. During her stay, she'd had had plenty of visitors. Sarah, Caleb, Reid, Tyler, her friends from school –not that she had many, as most were stuck up and bitchy. There were several people that she had yet to see. This was good for the most part, but for one person she wasn't sure.

The good news was she had yet to see her parents or that snot nosed little brat that her parents insisted was her sister. Jeez, they were annoying! She was one hundred percent sure that she was adopted. There was no way she could be related to such stuck up pricks.

The one thing she wasn't sure about was Pogue. He hadn't been to see her since she had gotten sick. When she woke up, she had been shocked to find herself in the hospital. The doctors fully explained her situation, but she had been confused. She didn't remember getting bitten, much less by hundreds of spiders. She didn't argue though, she was too tired. Sarah came to visit her later that day, ecstatic that she was okay. It was then that she learned about Pogue. He had been in an accident trying to get to the hospital to see her. He was two floors down in his own hospital room.

The thought brought Kate nearly to tears. She knew he loved her and she loved him and he'd been hurt coming to be with her, but she couldn't forget the way he acted sometimes. She wished that she wasn't so conflicted over him.

A knock on the door pulled Kate from her thoughts. She looked over and smiled, "Mrs. Parry." She said happily. The elder woman gave her a familiar raised eyebrow, "I mean, Bea." For as long as Kate had been dating Pogue, Beatrice Parry had been insisted that Kate call her Bea.

"Kate, darling," Bea said in a motherly voice; her British accent was still prevalent even after nearly twenty four years in the United States, "Are you alright dear?" She asked, leaning over and kissing Kate on the cheek, "I would have seen you before, but Wayne and I were out of town. He's coming back tomorrow, but I couldn't wait."

Shaking her head, Kate said, "I'm fine, Bea." She replied. Most people thought the Parry's were uptight, regal, cold, and/or stuck up. Kate knew them well enough to know that, while they had their moments, they were wonderful people. Bea had been raised as a proper British young lady and Wayne had a strict sense of duty and protocol, thus occasionally putting him at odds with his son but it wasn't anything that they couldn't get over quickly.

Bea pulled a chair from across the room and sat down next to Kate's bed, "What happened?" She asked.

"Spider bites." Kate replied, "A lot of them apparently." Bea looked her over worriedly, taking in the fading bite marks that doctors said would scar but the young nurse swore would be concealable. Bea took her hand and placed the back of it on Kate's forehead. Kate chuckled at the motherly affection; it was certainly something she couldn't expect from her own mother. Tears welled up in her eyes, something Bea immediately took notice of. She sighed lovingly and leaned over, wrapping her arms around Kate as the young girl broke down.

"Shh… Shh…" Bea whispered.

Breathing in and out slowly, Kate felt herself calm slightly. This was what she needed; someone to comfort her. Bea pulled away, smiling, and wiped away the tears that stained her face. Kate opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by a loud noise outside the door.

"Get away from me!" A voice that both women recognized as Pogue yelled, "Look man, I have nothing against you personally, but if you don't get away from me, I _will _hit you with this!" Bea was going to yell to her son, but he entered the room before she had a chance. He was in a wheelchair with his IV clipped onto the handle and a food tray on his lap. Kate had to hold in a laugh when she realized that that had been what Pogue was threatening a harassed looking doctor with. The doctor entered behind Pogue.

Bea stood, "Is there a problem here, doctor."

"Mrs. Parry, please tell your son that it wasn't a good idea for him to leave his bed. He's getting better, but he shouldn't exert too much energy." The doctor that Kate didn't recognize said.

"I grabbed a wheelchair for a reason." Pogue mumbled.

Bea sighed, "Dr. Mullins, my son is very resilient. If he wants to visit the young lady," She indicated Kate, "I see no reason as to why this should be a problem." Dr. Mullins huffed and left. Bea turned to her son, "Did you really plan to hit him with a tray?" Pogue looked down causing Bea to sigh.

Pogue turned to Kate, "How are you?" He asked, rolling the chair towards her.

"Fine." She replied in a small voice.

Bea looked between the two and sighed hopelessly, "Oh dear! Did you two have another fight?"

"Mother!" Pogue hissed.

"What?" She asked indignantly, "I don't like it when you two fight." She thought for a moment, "I suppose the letter makes sense now."

Pogue raised his eyebrows, "What letter?"

Bea pulled an envelope out of her purse and looked at it, "It's addressed from California." She said. Pogue and Kate immediately knew what that meant.

"Raven!" Kate exclaimed as Bea opened the letter.

"Mom!" Pogue said incredulously, "You do know it could be considered a federal offense for you to open that, right?" Bea raised her eyebrows at her son, "Tampering with U.S mail." Bea rolled her eyes and continued opening the letter.

Clearing her throat as she pulled the letter out of the envelope and unfolded the paper and read; a chuckled escaped her throat, "Oh, she always was so colorful with her language." Pogue sighed; of course. Raven had never been one to mince words, "Would you like me to read it to you, darling?" Bea asked her son.

"You're going to anyway, so why not?" He replied.

Smiling sweetly, Bea went back to the letter and read, "Pogue… What the hell is wrong with you? I did NOT get you and Kate together just for you to act like a total douche bag every time she looks at another guy. You and Caleb are on my shit list. Call me so I can yell at you properly. Seriously, Tyler is the only one that ever calls me anymore! Do you guys hate me or something? Call me, tell me what's up –Raven."

Pogue sighed, "That was better than I expected." Bea stood and held out the letter, "Is that all?"

"Yes." Bea said as he son took the letter, "Call her." She continued before leaning over and kissing Kate on the cheek, "I have to go. I'll be back later." She said to no one in particular.

C-C-C

**Present Day- Palo Alto, California**

Like any self-respecting high school senior at five in the morning on a school night, Raven de Mon was asleep. The bright California moon shone in as the wind blew her curtains around, but the sky was lightening. Through the slight crack in her window a silver mist crept in. Raven turned in her sleep, completely oblivious to the mist.

The silver lingered over Raven for a moment before descending upon her and resting by her side. Lowly, yet surely, the mist began to solidify and the outline of a person began to emerge. Raven squirmed as the weight of an arm rested on her middle. The added weight on her bed threw off Raven's delicate balance; her squirming a reaction to the throw off. After several minutes, Raven's eyelids flicked open to reveal irritated green eyes.

"What the hell?" She mumbled at the arm around her torso. She gasped and turned to look at the figure, "Holy shit!" She screamed, jumping so much that she fell off of her bed, "OW!"

"I'm sorry!" The figure exclaimed. Raven looked up in irritation.

"Lorelei," She groaned, "It's five in the morning."

Lorelei sighed, "Sorry, but I got bored."

Raven groaned, "Lor… You sleep… on occasion. Couldn't you do that now?"

Shaking her head, Lorelei replied, "I have to be in specific conditions to sleep. On this plane those conditions are hard to come by." Raven sighed and ran her hands through her fiery red hair, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you. I merely wished to observe you. Human sleeping patterns are much different than those of my kind. I still do not understand much about humans." Raven raised her eyebrows, "Touching you allows me to get a better look at your internal mechanisms while you sleep. I didn't think I would wake you."

Sighing again, Raven said, "Honey… You are two thousand years old. You've had plenty of time to observe humans."

"Wrong." Lorelei replied, "Raven you know that the Elders of the Ancients absolutely forbade human contact, or even mere examination; that they believed humans to be lowly and destructive and of little use. The only reason that humans were not wiped out on the Elders' orders was because the Elders knew that the destruction of humanity would throw off the natural balance and evolution of the Universe."

"Assholes." Raven murmured. Being what she was Raven had come to know a lot about the Ancients and their Elders and what she found out, Raven did not like.

Either Lorelei didn't hear her or ignored her comment, "I came into being with an uncharacteristic curiosity. I have always wanted to know more. You know that is why I was banished." Raven sighed, nodding. She met Lorelei two years before while on a hiking trip in the Redwood National and State Parks. Lorelei had been masquerading as a small bobcat, but Raven had sensed something different about her (again a part of being who and what she was). In interest, Raven had followed Lorelei to a den that the latter had created for herself. It was in the den that Lorelei had transformed back into her true form and, only after, realized that she had been followed.

The next few hours had been a blur to Raven. She had been sure that Lorelei was going to kill her and she hadn't even known how to address the "creature" –the only thing she could think to even call her- properly. _"You could not pronounce my true name even if you tried, human." _Lorelei had said. She had let Raven go unharmed but had shown up again a week later, this time in Raven's room and in her true form, inquiring as how she recognized the bobcat ruse. After a lengthy explanation Lorelei had pleaded to stay with Raven and follow her experiences. It took some convincing but Raven had eventually said yes and the rest was history.

However, Raven had said, she couldn't stay in her true form and she needed a name. Finding this not only acceptable, but necessary, the "creature" asked for help in creating an alias. Raven agreed and pulled out several of the many magazines that she had and began looking for various facial and body characteristics from different actors and models. Then they went on a naming website, neither of them remembered which one, and picked out the name "Lorelei Zilberschlag" because Lorelei wanted a very unique name. They had then gone to Raven's grandmother and guardian, Jane, to help with acquiring the proper identification papers. This only worked because Jane was very well connected.

Standing final, Raven looked at the alarm clock. 5:12 am. She rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm up. You have to take notes if I fall asleep in class."

Nodding, Lorelei said, "I will. I'm sorry." Raven shrugged and pulled herself from the ground. She walked over to the closet and pulled out her school uniform. She took the clothing to the private bathroom attached to her room and closed the door behind her. Lorelei heard a shower faucet turn on. One thing about Raven, she knew, was that she didn't take long in the shower.

Standing, Lorelei, who was fully clothed in her own school uniform, looked around the room. She loved Raven's room; it was very calming. The harmony that Raven felt with the Universe and its elements, and the internal battle that she felt when things were out of whack, read in all of her mannerisms and actions. She used her room as a way to free herself from the things that she had learned long ago she had no control over. To help her, Lorelei, who from observation had learned that Raven liked a clean and orderly room (much different from some people. She was shocked to see the many discrepancies between people of the same race) turned to Raven's bed and began shaking out the blanket. She smoothed the cresses as she pulled the blanket taut over the bed. When the blanket was perfectly placed on the bed, Lorelei grabbed the pillows and, in an attempt to fluff them as she had seen done before, pulled and punched at them. When she thought they were fluffed enough, she gently placed them back at the head of the bed.

Lorelei heard the shower turn off and looked at the alarm clock. She was shocked to see that more time had passed than she thought. Did it normally take twenty minutes to make a bed? Shaking off the thought, Lorelei wandered over to the desk in the corner of the room. It was covered in neat stacks of papers, books, and other supplies. There were also pictures. Lorelei had seen them all many times but she had never fully understood them; she wanted to be there, to have experienced those events, not to just see the pictures. She wanted to know why Raven found them so special.

Many of the pictures were from various events involving Raven and her grandmother or people that Lorelei knew; people that went to school with her and Raven at Castilleja School, an all girl college prep school, or friends who didn't attend Castilleja. But those pictures, in some way that Lorelei didn't fully comprehend, seemed to have less meaning than the pictures of the four boys in Massachusetts that Lorelei had never met, but was dying to do so.

Lorelei knew all of their names; Caleb Danvers, Pogue Parry, Reid Garwin, and the infamous Tyler Simms. Lorelei knew more about Tyler than the others merely because the Simms family had been closest to Raven's family since the 1690's. The others were like brothers to Raven, but Tyler (as was the case with his family) had always been different. Ever since Tyler's ancestor Lucas had protected Raven's ancestor and brought her into the Ipswich Covenant (despite the fact that her power was much different than theirs) the Simms had been the rock for Raven's family.

For Raven, Lorelei knew that that rock included a torch. Raven had been best friends with Tyler since the boy was born, six and a half months after her, and that had developed into hardcore feelings, at least on Raven's side. Lorelei, who stayed away when Tyler and his family came to visit during the summer as to not take away from the little chance they all had together, had heard the story of the last two summers. Both times Tyler had come and they connection between them was undeniably stronger. They had stayed close together the entire time, sometimes even sharing a kiss, but when the time came for Tyler to leave, he couldn't take anything to a new level. "The guys just wouldn't understand." It had happened twice only because Raven had thought (more likely_ hoped_) that time and distance had given Tyler reason to change his mind. Lorelei had to shake her head at the thought. If Caleb, Pogue, and Reid couldn't accept the deep connection that the two had, then they weren't friends; that much she knew.

The door to the bathroom opened and Lorelei looked over. Raven was standing in the doorway, fully clothed with a flat iron in her hand, "What are you looking at?" Raven asked as she ran the iron over her hair, the red becoming even more fiery as she straightened it.

"Your friends." Lorelei replied, "I don't know how, but your pictures of the Sons seem more important than the others. I can't understand it."

Raven smiled as she finished with her hair, "They're my guys." She said, "It isn't something that I can explain." Lorelei chuckled, knowing that there were some things that she would never understand. Raven went back into the bathroom and returned with her hair in a ponytail.

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth?" Lorelei asked, knowing that Raven's internal schedule was such that she brushed her teeth after showering, dressing, and doing her hair.

Chuckling, Raven replied, "I need more toothpaste." Lorelei raised her eyebrows as Raven grabbed a plastic grocery bag off of the floor and pulled a toothpaste box out, "That's creepy, by the way. You knowing my whole morning routine."

"Sorry."

Shrugging, Raven went back into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Lorelei turned her attention back to the photographs. The boys were handsome, that went without saying, and they were certainly very entertaining to be around (from what she had heard). She sincerely wanted to meet them. Raven loved them and, therefore, Lorelei was sure that she would too.

Raven exited the bathroom and smiled at the framed picture that was taken the Spring Break before, when she and, eventually, the Sons visited Hawaii. They all were laughing and smiling and happy. There was no sign of the tension between Raven and Tyler, but Raven remembered feeling it the entire time. She sighed and went to pick up the picture, with a strange result.

The moment her fingers touched the wood the room in front of her disappeared and she found herself outside; it was dark and it was raining. Raven looked around as she was pelted with freezing rain. Turning 180 degrees, she was shocked to see Caleb fending off an attack from another with the Power. She watched as Caleb blocked the clear balls of power that the other and returned with an attack of his own. Caleb dug deep within himself and created a massive ball of power, throwing at the other and knocking him back into a structure that Raven recognized as Putnam Barn.

Just as quickly as it happened, Raven found herself back in her room, "Raven?" Lorelei asked, "Did you just have… A premonition?"

Breathing heavily, Raven replied, "I… I think I did." Lorelei raised her eyebrows in shock. She recognized the premonition, but she didn't understand it. Raven's powers had never included premonitions.


	2. Bad News

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks very much to KaylaSimms1990, xxkpxx, gxaxbxbxy, and Daba91! My first four reviewers! It's awesome. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Also, I will be putting up links in my profile for my OC's, to show what they are suppose to look like, except for the characters in the past. Those I will leave to the imagination. If anymore OC's come into play I will more than likely add more links.

C-C-C

**Palo Alto, California- Castilleja School**

Raven tapped her pencil rapidly on her desk as she watched the seconds tick by on the clock. She had wanted to call the boys and warn them about her vision immediately after she got it, but Lorelei reminded her Massachusetts was three hours ahead and they were probably all ready in class. Lorelei then suggested calling immediately after school as, at that point, all of the families would probably be settling down for dinner at Caleb's, something that happened every Friday. It was a long standing family tradition and, as Tyler's father Glenn said, "_One of the only ways to get the boys home for more than five minutes_." Once again, Lorelei had slightly freaked Raven out for actually remember that little tidbit about the Sons. She had mentioned it once, in passing, the first week Lorelei was with her.

Another problem was the fact that Raven had to wait until she got home from school to call, as Lorelei (completely unintentionally) had essentially killed her cell phone several days before by dropping it into a toilet. Raven had not been amused and, even worse, had not had a chance to get a replacement yet.

The seconds were going by way too slow for Raven's liking. She continued to tap as her teacher lectured on… whatever it was she was lecturing on. Raven never really liked math and never liked paying attention but that's where she was, calculus, and she wasn't paying attention.

The tension mounted as the seconds ticked. The last minute was pure torture and the very moment the bell rang, Raven jumped up and ran towards her locker. Lorelei followed, much slower and more aware of running into people. In a flash, Raven had her locker open, her books in, and her homework and backpack out. Slamming the door, Raven turned to Lorelei, "Go to your locker and get your stuff. I'll wait for you at the car. Please be quick." Lorelei nodded and turned to go to her locker as Raven raced to her grandmother's car. Could Raven have her own car? Sure, but why bother to get one when her grandmother never –literally _never_- drove her own brand new Chevy Camaro 2SS Coupe? It was Raven's in all but a name to be honest.

Raven quickly weaved her way through her classmates out to the parking lot. From there she raced over to the Imperial Blue car, pulling the keys out of her bag as she did so. Unlocking the car, Raven jumped in and started the car, tapping the steering wheel as she waited for Lorelei.

After several minutes, she saw Lorelei running towards her car and she sighed heavily. Without giving Lorelei much time to get fully situated in the car, Raven hit the gas and raced off, "Don't kill anyone, Raven!" Lorelei said in an agitated voice.

"I'm not going to." Raven replied in a bitter voice. Lorelei raised her eyebrows in question, cocking her head to the side like a confused puppy. She knew that Raven's premonition involved the Sons, but she didn't know how. Raven hadn't told her, merely saying that that she need to talk to the boys A-Sap… Whatever that meant.

Thinking for a moment, Lorelei cautiously asked, "Raven?"

"Hmm?" Raven replied, her eyes still on the road and her speedometer rising.

Taking several deep breaths, Lorelei asked, "What does 'A-Sap' mean?" Raven turned her head, raising her eyebrow, "You mentioned it earlier and I was curious."

Turning back to the road, Raven said, "A-Sap. A-S-A-P; as soon as possible."

"Oh… That makes sense." Lorelei replied, settling back into the soft gray leather seat. The rest of the drive was quiet.

It didn't take long to get back to the large home that Raven and her grandmother lived in. Granted that was because Raven had been blatantly speeding. As soon as the car was off, Raven jumped out and raced inside. Lorelei sat there for a moment, blinking. She still had no idea what was going on and, being naturally curious, it made her even more confused. Slowly, she exited the car, closed her door, and walked around the car to close the door that Raven had left open.

Shaking her head, Lorelei turned towards the home and walked in. Raven was pacing back and forth with the home phone in her hands. Lorelei watched as Raven waited for Caleb to pick up. She sighed angrily after several seconds, "What?" Lorelei asked.

"He's not picking up his cell." Raven said through clenched teeth as she hung up and dialed again, "If he is at dinner, his mom might not let him pick up." She murmured to herself, trying to calm down. Again, she gave an exasperated sigh, hung up, and dialed again.

"You're calling again?" Lorelei asked.

"I'm calling the Danvers' house." Raven said, "If anything he'll be able to hear me bitching over the answering machine." Raven wanted for a moment and then groaned, "Caleb William Danvers, if you are home than pick up the goddamn phone!" She waited for a second and then growled, "Really, man? I know you are there. This is important!"

After another second of waiting, a voice replied, "Raven, sweetheart. Are you alright?"

"Hi Evelyn," Raven replied, "I really need to talk to Caleb."

"I gathered that." Evelyn Danvers said, "But, sweetheart, can't it wait?"

"No!" Raven exclaimed, getting to the point of hyperventilation just to get her point across.

"Mom," Raven heard Caleb say, "just give me the phone." Evelyn argued for a moment, "Then put it on speaker. The sooner I talk to her, the sooner she'll hang up."

Raven scowled, "Love you too, douche bag." She mumbled.

"Rae?" Caleb said after the click of the phone changing to speaker, "What's up?"

"Very little," Raven said quickly, "Have you, by chance, come across someone with the Power recently?"

Chuckling, Caleb replied, "Yeah, Rae," Raven gasped in panic, "Three of them."

Growling again, Raven said, "No, dumbass, not them! Anyone else? Someone who could possibly, you know, use a little too much?" Caleb was quiet; there was no noise behind him either, "Caleb… Did something happen at the Putnam Barn?"

"How the hell…" She heard Reid say.

"Rae…" Caleb started.

Sighing, Raven said, "Before you even asked, I ripped the power of premonition from an old Romani woman in San Francisco. I went with a friend to get my palm read."

Tyler's voice sounded next, "Raven, you ripped that power three weeks ago. How do you still have it?"

"I don't know!" Raven growled bitterly. She sighed heavily as she thought. She had always had the ability to "rip" powers off of other magical beings –witches, gypsies, etc. - and it was completely involuntary, but it usually went away after one use. Raven had had four premonitions -including the latest. Lorelei had not been around when she had the other three- since she ripped off the old woman (who immediately saw her for what she was). They had been little premonitions, so Raven hadn't worried, "What is going on."

Caleb took a deep breath and said, "The Putnam line. It came back."

"WHAT?!" Raven screeched, just as her grandmother entered the room.

"Raven Jeanette, stop screaming." Jane said.

Raven paid no attention, "What do you mean "it came back"! The Putnam line died out in the 1690's, it can't be back!"

"The Putnam line is what?" Jane asked in a panic. Lorelei looked at back and forth between the two, thoroughly confused. She could tell, however, that the "Putnam Line" was not good.

"Was that your grandmother?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah, she just got here."

Jane gasped, "Raven, this could be the reason that you haven't…"

"Grams, this has nothing to do with that." Raven replied, getting back to Caleb, "Caleb, I…"

"Raven, you don't have any reason to believe they aren't connected." Jane interrupted.

"Grams!" Raven said, but her grandmother continued as Caleb tried to speak, "Ah! Too many voices at one time!" Lorelei took this opportunity to help her friend. With one look, she whisked Raven away from her Grandmother. Raven gasped in air and landed flat on her back on the linoleum in her laundry room, one floor below where she had been.

Lorelei teleported in front of her and smiled, "You're welcome." She mouthed. Raven mouthed back a 'thank you.' Teleporting was easy for Lorelei and had little effect on her, but when she teleported humans, it placed a lot of stress on the lungs, a reason that Lorelei never teleported Raven very far.

"Rae, are you there?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah." Raven replied, pushing her hair out of her face, "What's happening over there?"

"Nothing, we got him."

"You mean _you _got him." Raven heard Reid say, "Wouldn't even let us help…"

"Caleb. Do me a favor and tell Reid to shut up. I don't have the emotional strength the bitch at him."

"With pleasure." Caleb said, "Shut up, Reid!"

"You're sure you got him?" Raven asked. Caleb was silent, "Ah… fuck." She groaned, "I have to go or Grams is going to flip. I'll talk to you guys later."

Raven hung up the phone and laid back down on the floor, holding her head in her hands, "Raven?" Lorelei asked, "Are you okay?" Raven shook her head and groaned bitterly. John Putnam was an ass and a prick when he was alive. There was no telling what a descendent could be like.

C-C-C

**1691- Ipswich Colony, Massachusetts**

Edwin, Oliver, Paul, and John followed Lucas towards the latter's home. All were angry at Lucas for revealing himself to an unknown girl, but they were slightly calmed (all except for John, but he was always bitter) when Lucas told them that the girl seemed to have the Power as well. Lucas had thought, when he told them about his use of the Power, that all four were going to kill him. It wouldn't have surprised him if Edwin's wife Anne had come home (she was visiting Paul's wife Abigail at the moment) to find a giant hole in the floor of her home over their meeting place.

As the brothers approached the Simms home, Oliver stopped dead on his horse and stared, causing the others to stop and look at him questioningly, "What is my wife doing here?" He asked, recognizing his wife's personal slave, a young woman named Isobel, who was speaking to the Simms' cook, who himself was carrying a giant basket full of vegetables.

The men immediately began panicking, not wanting to involve any of the wives but Charlotte, as she was already involved. Racing forward, they caught the attention of Isobel and the cook, "Good afternoon, Mr. Parry." Isobel said.

"Isobel, what are you doing here?"

"The Missus was called on, so she brought me." Isobel replied, "All the Missus' are here."

Lucas sighed and groaned, "Charlotte!" He called as he walked into the house, followed by his brothers. Charlotte walked down the stairs and into the sitting room with a smile on her face, "Darling…" He began but was cut off by a kiss. He sighed, "Dear. Why did you call on the others?"

Charlotte chuckled, "Because, as much as you hate to admit it," She said, sitting down on her personal chair, "anything that involves five of you, involves the four of us. I had Jerome call them over to tell them what happened." A tall, dark man entered, "Oh, I'm sorry, Jerome. No I was just telling my husband why the others are here."

"Of course Miss." Jerome said, "My apologies."

"No trouble." Charlotte replied as Jerome left.

John audibly groaned, "Stupid ni…" He began to mumble.

Cutting him off, an angry Charlotte said, "If you even _think _that you can use that word around this house, than you _clearly_ don't know me very well. If you insist on speaking in such an ill manner, then _get out_." John glared at her.

"Darling, I…" Lucas began, but he was cut off by the entrance of the rest of the wives, "Abby, Anne, Grace." He said, with a small head tilt towards them, "It's lovely to see you all again."

Grace chuckled and, after giving her husband a kiss, said, "And, yet, you wish we weren't here. You have nothing to worry about. I highly doubt that that girl is the reason that you five have been feeling strangely." Lucas and Oliver were going to argue, but a noise came from the upstairs, diverting their attention.

Lucas started up the stairs with Oliver, Edwin, Paul, and John before turning back to the wives, "Please stay here." He said. Charlotte nodded in agreement and Lucas made his way up the stairs, towards the room that he had laid the girl in. Bursting into the room, Lucas saw the girl trying to climb out of the window. He rushed over to her, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her back in. The apple tree was under the window, but he knew that she wouldn't be able to reach it from where she was.

"Get off of me!" She girl exclaimed in a strained voice.

Lucas let her go and, because of her struggling against him, she fell on the bed, "Are you trying to kill yourself?" Lucas asked a little too harshly.

"It's none of your concern." The girl said, close to tears as she tucked her legs against her and hugged herself.

Scolding himself, Lucas took a deep breath and asked, "Are you alright?" The girl nodded, "I'm Lucas. Lucas Simms. These are my friends Edwin Danvers, Oliver Parry, Paul Garwin, and John Putnam."

The girl looked at each of them and immediately, and silently, decided that all of them seemed reasonable except for the last one, "Faith." She replied, "Faith Lang."

"Is there a reason why you were climbing out of a window off of the third floor?" Edwin asked in a slightly amused, but still authoritative voice.

"I was trying to get out without having to use the front door." Faith replied.

Oliver looked the girl over for a moment, "Are you scared of us?" He asked with shock in his voice.

"There hasn't been a lot that I haven't been scared of in the past two days." Faith mumbled, almost to herself.

"Is there anything we can do?" Lucas asked, "We have a carriage. My wife and I could accompany you somewhere; back to your family, perhaps."

Paul spoke up next, "Your husband will probably be looking for you." The men looked at him in confusion and then automatically shifted their eyes to her hands and, sure enough, there was a plain, delicate silver ring on her on her wedding finger.

Shaking her head, Faith replied, "My husband won't be looking for me." The men stared at her, confused, "He was killed two days ago."

"How?" Lucas asked.

"Witch hunters." Faith said, deathly calm, "I met my husband while he was on business in the New Jersey Province; that's where I'm from. My mother died when I was young, so it was just myself and my father. He died just four days after my wedding. I suppose that was good in a sense, as he had been ill for many years and my husband was from the New Hampshire Province. We were moving back to his home, but we stopped in Boston; he had family there."

Lucas raised his eyebrows, "Had? What do you mean?"

"They were lovely people, but they were different. They lived in the woods just north of the city and they had a lot of experience with… what many considered unnatural things. Herbs for medicine, for instance. They never went to church, either. They believed that God could be reached from prayer in their own home; that He didn't condemn people for not going to a specific building to worship Him." Faith took several breaths, "Many townspeople didn't wait for them to be convicted of witchcraft. A mob came after them they day my husband and I arrived."

"They killed him and the rest of his family, didn't they?" Paul asked.

Nodding, Faith replied, "I saw two five year old girls beaten to death with burning sticks before they left." A cold tear dripped down her face, "My husband managed to lock me in a small crawl space under the kitchen floor, to protect me, because the hunters had only planned to take the whole of the family to the courts. But they fought back and the hunters killed them all, even the girls cowering in the corner."

"My God." Edwin managed.

"They set the house on fire, but I managed to get out through an opening in the back of the house." Faith pushed her red hair out of her face, "One of the saw me, so I started running. They followed me, but I managed to hide in a rotting tree trunk until I couldn't hear them anymore. That was two days ago and I've been running ever since."

"You have no one, then." Lucas deduced.

Shaking her head, Faith said, "No. No one. I haven't bathed or eaten in two days; I've barely slept. I've been too scared. My husband was a strong man, but there were too many of them." She seemed to be saying this all to herself, "And I just told him that…" She cut off and the men saw her hand go unconsciously to her belly.

The men gasped, except for John, "And you haven't eaten in two days?" Lucas asked, in shock. Faith shook her head, "My wife is down in the kitchen. She will have something for you."

"Thank you." Faith said standing, "And I'm sorry."

"For?" Lucas asked.

"Stealing your power." Faith replied, "I don't know how I do it. I don't know how I do a lot of things actually. My mother tried to explain as much as she could when she was getting sick, but I was young and I don't remember much of it. I keep thinking that if I knew more, I could have saved them… But it wouldn't have worked anyway."

"It wasn't your fault." Lucas said, "But what do you mean?"

"I could see they all had protection amulets. Very specific amulets, at that." The men stared at her in question, "Crescent and Hand amulets made by the Baines Covenant; they one of the only things I remember my mother telling me about. They are a very specific Covenant that originated in Wales. They don't have regular power but they have the power to render others powerless. They created the amulets that they are able to transfer their power to."

"Why?" Edwin asked.

Faith sighed, "To keep confrontations between Covenants powerless, therefore keeping them as peaceful as possible. They wanted to stop wars between Covenants, but I think that several of them turned on the others and have been selling to witch hunters. It's the only possible way."

Lucas sighed. If there were witch hunters with protection amulets that rendered witches powerless, then there could be serious trouble, "Thank you for trusting us with this. Now, please, go eat something. You look like you're going to fall over again." Faith nodded and turned out of the room, "Faith?" Faith turned back, "Do you have the Power? We can help you if you do."

Shaking her head, Faith said, "I have _a_ power. Not the Power. Yours is the most common of magic, but it isn't what I have. In fact, according to what I remember my mother saying, having the Power for too long, or using it too much, drains us of energy. That is why I fainted."

"What do you have?" Paul asked.

Faith was going to respond, but her stomach growled, "Let her eat. She can explain later." Lucas said. Faith smiled thankfully and left.

* * *

_A/N:_ Okay, a couple of things. First, if I get any reviews flaming me for giving the Ipswich families of the 1690's slaves, I'm going to ignore it. They were rich land owners in the seventeenth century, it's historically accurate for them to have slaves. I'm not condone it, I'm just saying. Second, I'm going to have flashbacks to the 1690's a fair amount, but not every chapter. Just where there is something that should be explained that isn't going to work with being set in the present day or if I just want to shake thing up a bit! Thanks for reading (and reviewing! Please?) and enjoy!


	3. Making Plans

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks a million to KaylaSimms1990, Luida, xxkpxx, gxaxbxbxy, and Daba91! You guys are totally awesome! Also, I realize now that when I wrote the scene in the hospital in the first chapter, I wrote that it was set in Ipswich… This is wrong, as it is suppose to be set in Gloucester. My mistake. Also, the rating has been changed to M for future language and possible sexual content. I hope that doesn't turn anyone off.

C-C-C

**Gloucester, Massachusetts**

Caleb, Sarah, Tyler, and Reid entered the hospital with one thing in mind; Pogue. They had to get to him and tell him about their rather frightening phone call from Raven. Sarah had been at dinner, much to the chagrin of Glenn Simms and Joseph Garwin, who were rather upset that their long protected secret had been exposed. Their wives had calmed them but apprehension was in the back of everyone's mind. None of them (Sons and wives included) wanted to see the reaction of Wayne Parry, the eldest and most straight-laced of their generation, when he found out that Caleb had openly told a girl that he had known (at the time) for little more than two weeks the biggest secret they held.

Entering Pogue's room, they all knew that they had somber looks on their faces… Except for Sarah, whose was a mixture of mass confusion and worry. "What's up guys?" Pogue said happily, not registering the looks on their faces, "I've been bored out of my mind! What's been…? Wait." He said, looking at them, "Who died?" Caleb sighed heavily, "Shit! Did someone actually die?"

"No." Caleb said, "Nobody died."

"Then why the hell do you look so depressed?" Pogue asked.

The group looked back and forth between each other. Tyler sighed and said, "We got a call from Rae at dinner tonight."

Pogue was clearly confused, "Huh?" He asked, "Rae calling is a bad thing?"

"When she knows about what happened with Chase…" Reid said, "Yeah, I'd say so."

Pogue swayed for a moment before raising his eyebrows, "Please tell me I heard that wrong." He said, looking back and forth between his friends. None of them gave him the answer he wanted, "How the hell... did Rae manage to find out about that."

Tyler heaved a heavy breath, "She had a premonition."

"A… What?" Pogue asked, "Since when does Rae get premonitions… And why is Sarah here?"

"I was at dinner." Sarah admitted, "Caleb and Mrs. Danvers told everyone that I know the big secret."

Pogue stared at her for a moment, "Be glad my dad wasn't there." He stated bluntly, "Let my mom tell him alone." He added to both Caleb and Sarah. Sarah shifted uncomfortably.

"Anyway," Caleb said, wanting to remove the attention from Sarah, "Rae ripped some Romani's power." Pogue had to think for a moment, trying to remember which region of Romani's got premonitions. After a moment, he remembered that it was the Roma Romani's.

"And she's had it for three weeks." Tyler practically growled.

Pogue raised his eyebrows, "Three weeks?" He asked, "How is that even possible?" Tyler shook his head, clearly angry and distressed.

Sarah was clearly confused, "What's wrong? Why is it so bad that she kept the power?"

The group looked over to Tyler, who knew the most about Raven's kind, "Raven's been able to rip powers for years; ever since her grandmother unbound her powers when she was eight. Normally they go away after one use, but sometimes they don't. But she isn't meant to have them. None of her kind are meant to have the powers that they rip. Eventually it takes a toll on their mental state."

"You mean she could go crazy?" Sarah asked in shock.

"That's not necessarily what can happen…" Caleb tried to interject

"Caleb." Tyler said warningly. Sarah was shocked; she had never heard Tyler speak in such a way, much less to Caleb, "My great-grandfather had to put her great-grandmother into a hospital for the majority of her adult life because she ripped a power that wouldn't go away." Sarah gasped, "And she committed suicide by hanging herself when she was 43. She'd been in that hospital since she was 25."

Sarah sighed, taking in all the information, "Tyler… What is she?"

Reid opened his mouth to say something, but Tyler stopped him, "Don't. Even." He warned. Reid held up his hands in defeat. Sighing and running through his hand through his hair, Tyler said, "Raven is what is often referred to as a Universal Being." Sarah raised her eyebrows, not at all understanding what the meant, "Rae is basically like her own separate part of the universe. She can manipulate almost anything without a free will. Fire, gases, weather, the Earth's electrical and magnetic fields; the list goes on." A smile slipped on his lips, "I remember when she was ten, her grandmother sent her to her room and she was so angry at her that she caused a thirty-six hour thunderstorm."

"Really?" Sarah asked. Tyler nodded, "Wow."

Sighing, Tyler continued, "Rae's very attached to what happens to everything around her. Being what she is, she feels everything a little bit differently."

"She's really whoooooo." Reid said, shaking his hands and swaying, causing Caleb to slap him in the head, "It's said with love!" Reid said, "She knows I love her."

Pogue shook his head, "Rae finds out you said that, she'll shock you again." Sarah looked at him, confused, "It is part of being able to control the Earth's electrical fields. She can shoot electricity out of her hands." Pogue sighed and leaned back against his pillow. One thing that Tyler hadn't mentioned was Raven's ability to pull from the healing powers of the Earth (Raven always gave the example of a forest regrowing after a wildfire). Pogue would have given anything to have that right now.

Sarah laughed, an uncontrollable effect of her shock and amazement, but thought back to something that Tyler had said before, "Wait… Why did she have her powers bound?" Tyler raised his eyebrows, "You said before that her grandmother unbound her powers when she was eight. Why were they bound in the first place?"

Tyler nodded, "Universal Beings have their powers when they're born. They have their powers bound at birth until they are of an age where the Beings have control over their selves and their choices. When they know the difference between right and wrong, so to speak. Can you imagine a two year old throwing a tantrum and causing a hurricane? Trust me, it could happen."

C-C-C

**Palo Alto, California**

Jane de Mon had never been a worrier. Sure, she occasionally worried, but who didn't? Lately, however, her worries had become more frequent. Raven, an impulsive girl who brushed problems off without so much as a second thought, told her she was being paranoid. Jane didn't believe that it was paranoid for her to be scared for her granddaughter with the things that had been happening.

Eleven times over the last six and a half months, Raven's powers mysteriously stopped working. Not only that but every time it happened, Raven found herself in a situation that Jane would prefer her not being in. For instance, the fourth time it happened, Raven was on a city bus that went out of control. Several of the passengers had minor injuries but Raven was unharmed and no one had been killed or was in serious condition. Shaking her head, Jane sighed. Her granddaughter was exactly like she was when she was a teenager. Universal Beings were often slaves to their emotions and impulses and had to learn very quickly how to have some modicum of control.

The thought made Jane look over to the table next to her large chair. She was in her study, a place where she allowed her emotions take over; take over her emotions did. Her eyes landed on a familiar picture, one that was taken when she was nineteen years old, and tears spilled out of her eyes. She had been in love with the same man since she was eighteen but certain circumstances kept them apart. Then, eleven years ago, they had gotten into an argument and hadn't spoken since. In the picture his arm was around her waist and he was kissing her cheek. She was pressing herself to him with her arms around him. God, she loved that man.

Wiping the tears away, Jane turned her mind back to the plan that she had been forming ever since she learned that the, she shuttered, _Putnam_ line had somehow returned. Sighing heavily, she pulled the phone on her table off the hook and dialed the Danvers' home phone number. She knew that Evelyn would still be awake, despite the lateness of the hour in Massachusetts.

"Evelyn Danvers." Evelyn's familiar voice said.

"Evelyn. It's Jane."

"Jane?" Evelyn asked, "Is everything alright? It's seldom that we get a call from both you and Raven in one day."

Sighing, Jane said, "No, I don't think that everything is alright. I think someone is targeting Raven."

"Targeting her?" Evelyn asked, "What do you mean?" Jane explained everything about Raven's powers randomly quit working and what happened every time they did so, "My God."

"Raven, being the rash young girl that she is, says that someone probably just got a hold of a Baines amulet and they don't know what it is." Jane sighed heavily, "I don't think so. It's happened too many times."

Evelyn was silent for a moment, "You're worried about her." She finally said.

"Very much so." Jane replied, trying to keep herself under control. Being a slave to ones emotions was a very difficult thing to be, "I was hoping to ask you and the others for a favor."

"Anything." Evelyn said with sincerity in her voice, "I'll talk to them in the morning."

With resolve, Jane said, "I don't think that Raven can be safe on her own. She's too headstrong sometimes and I don't think that I can help her any more than she can help herself. I want her to go back to Ipswich. I want people I trust helping me make sure she's okay. Evelyn, I can't lose her; not after what happened to Laurel." The last sentence wavered Jane's control over her emotions and Evelyn could hear it.

Evelyn waited for Jane to collect herself. There was no way she could blame Jane for breaking down. Laurel, Jane's daughter and Raven's mother (similar and completely opposite to those with the Power, Universal Beings gave birth only once to a daughter. Raven's family changed their last name for the final time in 1869 when Priscilla Grant married Jean-François de Mon, an Iroquois-French Canadian man. Their daughter Georgiana started the trend of keeping her maiden name and giving it to her daughter) had died eleven years previously, when Raven was seven, in a car crash. Had she not been killed on contact, Laurel's body –unconscious or not- would have begun healing due to the ability to pull healing from the world around them. Laurel and Raven, however, had been hit head on -while visiting Jane in California- by three fifteen year old kids who decided that sharing two fifths of vodka and driving one of their parent's Ford f150 truck was a good idea. Laurel may have died instantly, but Raven (thanks to the protection of the back seat) had been saved, though she ended up in a coma for three weeks. Due to her powers were bound she healed at a normal pace and all of the families and Jane feared that she wouldn't make it. The ritual of unbinding powers was very complex and involved participation from the Being whose powers were being unbound, so that wasn't even an option.

Evelyn remembered the horror of that time. Jane had called in a panic, crying and hyperventilating. No one, Glenn and Rosalind Simms in particular, took Laurel's death well. Glenn and Rosalind owed their marriage to Laurel, who introduced them when Glenn, Wayne, Joseph, and William came to visit her at MIT from Harvard. Rosalind, who had been Laurel's roommate, took to Glenn and the rest was history. Raven woke up a week and a half before her mother's funeral, but still being too injured to travel, the Simms came to California to watch her while Jane took care of everything in Massachusetts. Everyone knew it was because Glenn and Rosalind couldn't bear to be at the funeral, so the solution was ideal.

"Jane?" Evelyn asked, "I have no problem with Raven coming to Ipswich and neither will anyone else. The boys would be thrilled. When do you want her to come?"

"As soon as possible, but I don't think I can make it fit before fall break in early October."

Evelyn sighed, "I'll talk to rest of the family tomorrow when the boys are at school."

It wasn't lost on Jane how Evelyn used the term "the rest of the family." She smiled slightly, knowing what Evelyn meant and thankful that she and Raven were still considered family. The Families of Ipswich were, essentially, one family. I felt wonderful to still be a part of that family after running away scared twice (once after she found out that she was pregnant with Laurel, once just before Raven was born).

"Thank you, Evelyn."

"Of course." Evelyn replied, "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Thank you." Jane said, "I'll talk to you then."

"Goodbye, Jane."

"Goodbye, Evelyn." Jane said, handing up the phone. She was happy for several reasons. First, she believed that Raven would be safer and happier back in Ipswich; second, she knew that being in close proximity to each other would force Tyler and Raven to work out their issues (oh yes, she knew about that. Not that they would know she knew); and third, Evelyn sounded better. She knew that she had taken William's self-destructive ways hard and she sounded like she was getting better.

"Grams?"

"In the study." Jane said. Raven walked in and Jane smiled, "My god, you are beautiful."

Raven raised her eyebrows, "Thanks?"

"Like your mother."

Sighing, Raven ran her hands through her hair. Of course this was where this conversation was going, "I miss her." Jane nodded, "Grams? I remember mom use to have a lot of flowers," Another nod, "but I can't remember what kind." Raven looked angry and Jane had nothing but sympathy. Raven had hit her head against the door of Laurel's car during the accident and not only had it put her in a coma, but it had taken away details of her childhood. She knew almost everything, but several details were gone. She hated not being able to remember certain things and only realizing that she couldn't remember them when she thought about similar details, "They were orange, that I know. And I know mom told me what they were, but I can't remember."

Nodding, Jane smiled, "Tiger Lilies."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Jane said, "But there is something I want to talk to you about."

Pulling up a chair, Raven sat and said, "Shoot."

Knowing that Raven was going to argue, Jane prepared herself for a battle, "Raven, I love you," Raven rolled her eyes. Anything starting with "I love you," "You know I love you, right?" or other variations rarely were good, "and I know that you think I'm being paranoid about the power shortages, but I have bad feeling about them."

Rolling her eyes, Raven sighed, groaned, and slumped back into her chair, "Grams, not this again."

"Raven Jeanette, you are taking this too lightly." Jane said, "I will not allow you to make decisions that could hurt you in the long run. Raven rolled her eyes again; she had heard this all before, "Therefore, I am sending you back to Massachusetts."

Raven shot up straight up in her chair; that was definitely one she hadn't heard before, "You are going to… WHAT?" She asked, completely shocked.

Sighing, Jane continued, "I want you to be safe and the only people I can trust to keep you safe are the Families."

"Grams?" Raven asked, "Have you finally lost your mind after sixty five years?"

"Raven," Jane warned.

"Grams, this is ridiculous. I'm in my senior year and you decide that now is a good time to send me back to Massachusetts?"

"And here I thought you would love to go back." Jane said, knowing exactly how to get to her granddaughter, "Seeing the boys again on a daily basis, being back in New England, snow, not having to worry about a time-change issue when you want to call the boys or make plans."

Raven heaved her breath, "Grams, you know I want all of that. It's just... Now?"

"Raven, please do not argue with me." Jane pleaded, "I know you think I'm paranoid, but don't I have a reason to be? I lost my four best friends way too early, my daughter was killed by some stupid kids and their stupid decisions; I lost the love of my life because my _father_," She cringed at the word, "felt that he wasn't good enough because he didn't have a recognizable name and millions of dollars to go with it. I cannot lose the only person I have left to live for." Jane stopped to get control of herself again and Raven could see that her grandmother's eyes were on the scar on her neck, another souvenir from the car accident; this particular one from a shattered piece of windshield that managed to just miss her carotid artery.

Thinking for a moment, Raven sighed, "Three things."

"Yes?"

Holding up a fisted hand, she raised her index finger and said, "First, I will go," Jane sighed in relief as Raven raised another finger, "Second, I will go only under three conditions," Jane listened carefully, knowing that Raven was completely serious, "I get to bring the Camaro with me," Jane nodded, laughing slightly, "the guys don't know I'm coming back before I get there; I want to surprise them," Jane sighed, knowing that Raven was going to come up with something semi-ridiculous. It was almost impossible to hide anything from those boys, "and I get to bring Lorelei with me."

Raising an eyebrow at her granddaughter, Jane asked, "How do you propose that happening?"

"Transfer us both." Raven said, "Lorelei's shape shifting comes in very handy when something needs to get done."

Unfortunately, Jane knew she had to agree, "And the third thing?"

"Third," Raven said as she lifted her third finger, "you haven't lost him Grams." It was Jane's turn to stare in shock as Raven lowered her hand, "He's still there waiting. Grams, please, how long are we going to…"

"Stop right there." She interrupted, "Raven, you have no idea if he still feels…"

Rolling her eyes, yet again, Raven continued, "Oh please! Grams, the man is as in love with you now as he was the day he gave you that ring!" She said, pointing to the ring on Jane's engagement ring finger. It was a delicate, simple silver ring with a teeny tiny diamond imbedded directly into the ring. It was all he could afford when he bought it, insisting that it was merely a promise ring that he would propose at a later date with a more suitable ring. Jane had insisted that it was unnecessary and that she loved the ring. Jane had been nineteen, her beau twenty one; she hadn't taken that ring off –in some form or another- in forty six years.

"After what happened eleven years ago?" Jane asked.

"You didn't tell him the truth, Grams." Raven said, causing Jane to raised her eyebrow yet again, "You told him that you had always thought that there was a chance that mom was his daughter." Jane nodded, "That's incorrect and you know it. You've always believed one hundred percent that he was mom's biological father. It's the reason you had to run off after you found out you were pregnant. You couldn't let _him_," Jane cringed yet again, remembering the man her father forced her to marry. Raven normally wouldn't condone sleeping around with someone else behind one's husband's back, but her grandmother's husband was a total douche bag and she knew that her grandmother had always loved her grandfather, "stake a claim." Jane nodded, "Then he died when mom was seven months old and there is where I continually lose your train of thought."

"I have my reasons for everything that I did."

"Yeah, you were scared shitless but that had never stopped you before." Jane gave a glance, informing Raven that she didn't like the latter's use of words. Raven sighed, "Can I go see him?" Jane nodded, knowing that she couldn't keep Raven from him even if she had wanted to, "Can I tell him?"

"No!" Jane said quickly and sharply.

Raven sighed, "Grams, why can't I call my own grandfather 'grandpa'?" She asked, "I hate calling him by his name."

"Please, Raven." Jane said, "After all of these years he wouldn't forgive me if he knew the whole truth. I just can't." Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. She knew that her grandfather would forgive her grandmother if, and when, he knew. Her mom may be dead, but she was still there and she wanted to have the relationship with him that most girls had with their grandfathers. It just wasn't fair that her grandmother seemed to think so little of him after their times together.

"When I am going?" Raven asked, finally taking the subject off of her grandfather.

"As soon as possible." Jane said, "I don't want to waste any time. Call on Lorelei and tell her is going to happen." Raven knew, of course, that 'call on' meant to call to her across the barriers of time and space, something easily done if one knew, as only Raven did, the incantation.

"What is going to happen?" A voice said causing Raven and Jane to jump. Calling on Lorelei was, clearly, unnecessary. Becoming bored, Lorelei had come to visit (something she did so much that she practically lived with Raven and Jane) and had her interest piqued when she heard her name, "What are we going to do?" She asked, her gray eyes widening in expectancy and curiosity.

* * *

_A/N:_ Just in case anyone is wondering "Romani" is a term often used as a synonym for "Gypsy." In this story, they have powers depending on the regions that their families originated from. Roma Romani's are from Eastern Europe and Southern Italy. I may or may not bring in Romani's from other regions, but I'm not sure yet. So tell me what you think so far!


	4. The Second Ascension

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks a million to xxkpxx, gxaxbxbxy, KaylaSimms1990, and Luida! It's the reviews that keep me going. I appreciate everyone and their thoughts.

C-C-C

**Ipswich, Massachusetts- Parry Homestead**

Pogue Parry had been born, much to his father secret disappointment, three weeks after Caleb. Pogue had been due to be born before Caleb, but Evelyn had gone into labor early. Wayne Parry was happy for Evelyn and William, of course, but he had been hoping to continue his legacy as the eldest of his generation through his son.

That hadn't happened, however, and Pogue was perfectly fine with that. It wasn't like he wanted the pressure of being the Golden Boy; the perfect Son. He was a rough and rowdy kind of guy, not the kind that did everything he was told. The responsibility of being the oldest was something that Caleb was perfect for and Pogue knew that he would have been little more than a disaster as the eldest Son.

Responsibility. It was the main reason that Pogue was hiding in the shed behind his family's home at the moment. At exactly 7:18 pm, an hour and twelve minutes from that precise moment, Pogue would be ascending. The thought of having the Power in its entirety scared the living daylights out of him. Becoming like William Danvers was the worst thing he could think of. A good man who got addicted and left behind a great wife and a son who was forced to grow up too soon; it was something he didn't want to even fathom.

A knock came on the door of the shed and Pogue ignored it; he'd locked it from the inside and –knowing it was his father who had come to speak with him- didn't worry about the door being opened. Wayne didn't use the Power for trivial things. Another knock came and Pogue ignored it again.

"Pogue Christopher Parry." Wayne Parry's authoritative voice said, "Open the door." Pogue sighed, leaned forward, and twisted the lock open. The door open and Wayne's square and intimidating yet aging face faced his son's, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to avoid the inevitable." Pogue replied honestly. Wayne sighed, entered, and closed the door behind him, "Done bitching at Caleb?"

Wayne immediately took offense, "What Caleb did was irresponsible! He's known that girl for a month and she has already known our secret for three quarters of that time!" Pogue sighed. He really shouldn't have gotten his father started, "Don't sigh at me, son. You know, just as Caleb knew, that we have to protect ourselves…"

"At least Caleb has a reason," Pogue interrupted, shocking his father. He really didn't want to hear his father giving him the same deal all over again. He had heard it at least five times since his father returned, "You told mom on a whim. I love sick little whim!" Wayne sighed heavily; Pogue was right. He had met Beatrice while spending a semester in England during his junior year at Harvard and, two months later, she knew the secret and the fact that he was madly in love with her. They were also engaged. It was the only impulsive thing Wayne had done in his life, "Chase was going after Sarah, Kate, Me. Dad, he didn't have a choice. Sarah would have been in even more danger if she had had no idea what was going on. Kate and I were almost killed; Caleb had to tell her."

"Pogue, I…"

"Dad," Pogue said, "Please don't. I just want to sit here and freak for a minute or two."

Wayne sighed, "Son, you will be fine. You are stronger then you give yourself credit for." Pogue didn't answer. Wayne clapped his son on the shoulder, "You will be fine." He repeated, "Your friends will be here in an hour. Do you want me to send them out here?" Pogue didn't say anything so Wayne took that as a hint to leave.

Just as he was walking out the door, Pogue's voice turned him around, "I don't want to be like him."

"Him? You mean William?"

Pogue nodded, "I can't do that. I can't get so into it that I leave behind the people I love most in the world. I can't do that to Kate." Wayne sighed, but his reason behind it was different then Pogue's interpretation, "Dad, I just need to be alone right now." Wayne nodded and left.

Walking up to the back kitchen door, Wayne sighed. He didn't like that his son was so completely envisioning his future, "You're sighing, darling," Bea said, making him jump. He hadn't seen her drinking her cup of tea at the large island near the stove, "what happened now?"

"I just had a talk with your son."

Bea sighed, "My son? What has he done?" She asked, knowing that Pogue was never "her son" unless Wayne didn't approve of something.

"He is thoroughly convinced that Kate is the girl that he is going to end up with." Wayne said.

"I fail to see what is so wrong with that." Bea said, "Kate is a wonderful girl. I thought this was something that we agreed on."

Sighing heavily, Wayne said, "I never said that she wasn't a wonderful girl, I just don't think that she and Pogue will work." Bea tried to argue, "Sweetheart, you know Kate just as well as I do. It is clear how high maintenance and stuck in her ways she is." Again, Bea tried to argue, "I am not saying that that is necessarily a bad thing, but I don't think she will be able to adjust to what we are when, _if_, Pogue tells her. I think it would be too much of a shock for her."

"You almost sound as if you want it to be too much of a shock of her, Wayne." Bea said.

"You know that isn't the case, dear." Wayne said sharply, "I care for Kate a great deal but I fear that she will run very fast in the opposite direction if Pogue ever tells her."

Bea raised her eyebrow and took a sip of her tea before saying, "I think you are being paranoid." Wayne sighed again. He took notice of just how much he had been doing that during the last few days. That couldn't be good.

C-C-C

**Ipswich, Massachusetts- Parry Homestead: 7:15 pm**

There was no way around it. Pogue knew that his ascension was mere minutes away. Caleb, Reid, and Tyler had joined him in the ballroom of his home, the only place that he trusted his ascension to take place. No one would see anything from the outside. His mother had gone to stay with Evelyn, not able to watch. From what her husband had told her, it was painful; more so than anything he had ever experienced. Wayne, along with Joseph and Glenn, were sitting on the opposite side of the ballroom from the Sons.

"You okay?" Caleb asked in a low voice.

"Do I look it?" Pogue replied dryly.

Reid clapped Pogue on the shoulder, "No need to be so nervous, man. You're _ascending_!"

Raising his eyebrow, Pogue said, "You really need to stop being so enthusiastic about ascending."

"Why?" Reid asked, "We get…"

"Son," Joseph Garwin interrupted, causing the boys to look over. None of them had noticed their father's walking towards them, "Please shut up. When you get these powers, I do not want to see you getting old and shriveled before I do."

"Dad, you're already old and shriveled." Reid stated bluntly.

Joseph raised his eyebrows, "Thank you, son. You state the obvious so well." Reid glared at him. This was the usual banter between the Garwin men. It was all in affection, "But, please realize, that if you keep going the way that you are, you will be like William far sooner then I will."

"So stop, moron." Caleb said, smacking Reid on the back of head. He had been very sensitive about his father, even more so then usual, during the past two weeks. With good reason, everyone knew, so no one argued with him.

"I haven't used in three weeks." Reid argued. Everyone stared at him, their eyes disbelieving, "Okay, twice!" They still didn't believe him, "I swear, I…"

Reid never got a chance to finish. In the middle of his sentence, an eerily familiar (to the elders and Caleb) blue lightening-like force descended upon Pogue. Reid and Tyler were clearly in shock and frightful awe. Pogue was raised in the air, groaning in pain, hurting too much to scream properly. No one caught the frightened flash that crossed Reid's eyes. He hadn't known what to expect and this was the farthest thing from his mind. Ascending was going to hurt; a lot. He wasn't so excited anymore.

Time seemed to hold still. All watched as Pogue, seemingly for hours –though it was probably only for a minute, levitated in front of them. After a while, Pogue descended. It was a sudden drop, causing him to fall in a lump on the floor. Caleb rushed over to his best friend and Wayne made his way as fast as he could.

"You okay, man?" Caleb asked. Pogue didn't reply, taking his energy to pull in deep breaths.

"Pogue?" Reid asked, standing just a little farther back then Caleb and Wayne.

"Ow…" Pogue mumbled.

Relief washed over them, but it was short lived, "Oh… my… GOD!" A voice screamed. The group looked over and panic struck them. Kate, who was suppose to go on a date with Pogue to "work out their relationship issues" at 7:35 and was clearly very early, stood just inside the door to the ballroom. Her face was clear shock and fear, while Sarah, who was with her, stood just behind Kate with her hands on her face. She lowered them slightly and mouthed "Sorry! I tried to stop her!"

"Katie." Pogue mumbled, standing a little too quickly and stumbling, falling back into Caleb's arms.

"What the hell are you?" Kate asked as she turned and ran.

"Kate, wait!" Sarah called before turning to the boys and saying, "I'm so sorry! I had no idea that she was coming here when I caught a ride! I tried to stop her!" She turned and raced out of the ballroom, "Kate! Come back!"

Pogue, with the weight of what had just happened landing on him, stood again and ran, "Shit!" He whispered, grabbing the keys to his mother's Aston Martin out of the locked case on the wall of the room Raven, in her endearing weirdness, called "Limbo," the room that attached the house to the garage and the room where, if your shoes were muddy, they would be removed before entering the house. Pogue stepped into the garage and looked for the Aston Martin. He founded it, raced over, and –once inside- tore out of the garage.

He had to talk to Kate and he had to talk to her now.

C-C-C

**Ipswich, Massachusetts- Spencer Academy**

Pogue stood outside of Kate and Sarah's door, completely scared. He didn't want her to completely freak and not give him a chance to talk. Knocking, Pogue waited, the anxiety pulsing through him and making him want to vomit. Finally the door opened and the sick feeling was even stronger than before. A face looked out the crack in the door and Pogue groaned. Sarah's blue eyes were apologetic, "She's in the bathroom," Sarah whispered, "Come on it."

Pogue entered with a thank you and Sarah closed the door behind him, "Sarah, I…" Pogue whispered.

Sarah shushed him and said, "Kate, I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to go get something from Lainey." Kate called back, but her voice was muffled; probably from brushing her teeth. The door to the bathroom was closed to Pogue couldn't see. Sarah left without another word to Pogue.

Water rushed and Pogue heard Kate spit. He was right about her brushing her teeth. The door opened and Kate stopped dead, "How did you get in here?"

"Sarah let me in." Pogue said truthfully.

"Really?" Kate asked, disbelieving, "You didn't do whatever the hell it was that you were doing earlier."

Shaking his head, Pogue said, "Kate, I wasn't doing that. Please, let me explain."

"No." Kate said quickly, "I don't want to know, Pogue. You clearly don't trust me enough to tell me about whatever that was, when I can see that Sarah _does _know."

"Katie… Please." Pogue said, taking her in his arms, "I love you. Let me explain."

Kate, with tears in her eyes, said, "Pogue, I can't take an explanation right now. What I saw… I just need to comprehend that." She pulled away, "I love you, but I can't."

Pogue, trying to keep himself together, let out short and shuttered breaths, "What are you saying, Kate?"

With a look of saddened resolve on her face, Kate said, "I… I think we need to spend some time apart." Pogue just looked at her in shock, "Pogue, please. We need… _I _need some time to myself."

"You're breaking up with me?" Pogue asked, disbelieving, "After nearly two years, you can't give me even a chance to…"

"Pogue, please leave."

Shock and disbelief were on the very bottom of the mountain of emotions that Pogue was feeling. He stared at her, not able to believe that this was coming from Kate; the girl he had been head over heels in love with since Raven (who was visiting for the Christmas Breaks; she hated the hot, snowless Southern California winters) introduced them and the one he had planned on spending the rest of his life with. Shaking his head at her, he turned and left. As he ran back to his mother's Aston Martin, Pogue wondered how everything had gone so wrong once the Sons started ascending.

* * *

_A/N:_ Shorter than usual? Yes. A little fast? Probably. But an important chapter? Most definitely. I hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry if this was a little fast, but it is important. I hope no one minds! Tell me what you think.


	5. Welcome Home

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Many thanks (pick your own amount!) to gxaxbxbxy, AkashaCullen, and xxkpxx! Also, this is a really long chapter. I hope it isn't a long chapter of crap.

C-C-C

**San Francisco International Airport- October 10****th**

Raven tugged her bags through the doors of the airport as her grandmother walked behind her with yet another bag and a small pet carrier that held a very content Silver Bengal Cat that was snoozing despite the carrier moving to and fro. Raven rolled her eyes; Lorelei always slept better in cat form for some reason. Perhaps it was because cats were closer to her true form, which Raven could only describe as bat-meets-wolf-standing-upright.

Stalking up to the check-in counter, Raven lifted her bags and took out her credit card to use the automated check-in. She sighed bitterly, preparing for how much money it would take to check in all three of her huge suitcases. Sure, she could pay for it, but that didn't mean that she wanted to. As she was finishing, a woman came from the other side of the counter and began preparing her luggage.

"Good morning." The attendant said, "How are you today?"

"Fantastic." Raven replied as the attendant place long strips of paper on the handles of her luggage, "I also have a cat." Raven admitted, waiting to hear the amount of damaged having Lorelei in cat form would do to her bank account. Granted it would be less than a whole ticket, but still... It was a lot of money. Damn economy.

The rest of the check-in was a blur and Raven liked it that way. All she wanted to get on the plane and leave. Her grandmother's paranoia was rubbing off on her and her excitement about seeing the boys again was something that she could barely contain. Stepping into the Security line, Raven turned to her grandmother.

"I will be careful." She said, knowing what Jane was going to say, "I promise."

"I know, sweetheart." Jane replied, "I just worry. I love you and I don't want to lose you again." Raven nodded and Jane placed the pet carrier on the ground, "And on a happier note," She added, digging into her purse, "I have a gift for you."

"I like gifts." Raven stated innocently.

Jane chuckled as she pulled out a small box and handed it to her granddaughter. Raven took it, "I hope you like it." Opening the box, Raven squealed causing Jane to lean back just a little, "I'll take that as a yes." Raven smiled and pulled her grandmother into a backbreaking hug, "Darling… Ow."

"Sorry." Raven said sheepishly before turning back to the Apocalypse Green BlackBerry Pearl Flip that her grandmother had just given her, "Oh my god, Grams. Thank you!"

"You're welcome darling." Jane replied, "We hadn't gotten around to getting you a permanent one and I figured since you were leaving, we should do that. And I know, better than anyone, that your favorite color is green." _Perhaps not better then Tyler, however._ Jane thought, remembering back to the stuffed panda in a green pants that Tyler had brought Raven the summer before last. He had said that it was the only way he knew to put her favorite animal and her favorite color together.

Raven smiled, hugging her grandmother again, "And the Camaro?"

"It will be waiting at the airport. I made sure that the shipping company wouldn't just deliver it to Danvers Manor."

"Good. I need that to get there without anyone finding out." Jane nodded with a smile, but Raven noticed something, "Oh… No… Grams, please. No crying." Jane wiped her tears away, but more came, "Come on! This was your idea!"

"I know, I know." Jane replied, "But that doesn't mean that I want to see you go."

"You wouldn't have to if you came with me and…"

"No." Jane said sternly, stopping Raven in her tracks. Rolling her eyes, Raven groaned. Her grandmother was so stubborn sometimes, it was extremely annoying. Then again, Raven knew that the same could be said about her, "Call me when you get the car."

"I will." Raven said. Jane nodded, hugged Raven tightly, and raced off with more tears in her eyes. Rolling her eyes, yet again, Raven looked down to Lorelei –who was watching with interest through the slots of the pet carrier, "Please don't tell me that surprised you." The cat shook its head as if trying to get rid of a pest flying around its ears, "Good." Raven said as she picked up the carrier and headed through the rest of security.

C-C-C

**United Airlines- Somewhere over Massachusetts**

This flight was getting old. Raven was bored to tears, even though she had plenty of music and books in her carry-on and the First Class on this particular plane was very nice. Lorelei was, yet again, dozing as if she didn't have a care in the world even though the puffy claw scars on her back (something that showed no matter what form she was in) looked like they were still painful after over two years. They had had a layover in Denver and another in Chicago and Raven couldn't wait until she was allowed to get off of the plane and stay off. She had no idea how the boys had dealt with their flight from Boston to Hawaii the Spring Break before.

Just like a rocket, Lorelei shot up and began pacing around the pet carrier. Raven looked at her with amusement for a moment before Lorelei began reaching her paws out of the carrier and batting at Raven's arm, "What?" Raven asked, slightly irritated.

Lorelei mewed shrilly and Raven shushed her. Continuing to bat, Lorelei bared her claws and took a quick swap at Raven's arm, "Ow!" Raven groaned as blood droplets formed on her forearm. She sighed heavily but knew it would heal after several minutes, "What is wrong with you?" Lorelei continued to pace worriedly, not able to explain what she wanted to in cat form. Raven, had she been thinking about it, would have wondered why Lorelei's seemingly endless powers didn't help her. Why couldn't she have telepathy when she needed it?

Before Raven could think, the plane began jolting. Screams came from the passengers in front of her and she could hear the calls of terror from the passengers behind the door in coach. Taking a deep breath and focusing, Raven tried to use her powers to calm the plane, but it wasn't working.

"Shit!" She mumbled so low that only Lorelei could hear, causing the latter to meow again at the former, "My powers!" She whispered hoarsely, "They're gone! I'm having another shortage!" Lorelei freaked. Racing rapidly around the carrier -as Raven was jostled around, hitting her head on the seat in front of her- Lorelei seemed to be thinking up a plan. She didn't want to leave people on the plane, but she didn't know what else to do.

Just as the oxygen masks dropped down and Raven placed her over her face, the proverbial light bulb went off in Lorelei's head. She used her power to turn into a sliver mist –the same form she was in when she visited Raven the night of her fourth premonition, and floated towards the front of the airplane, unnoticed by the frightened occupants in their seats.

Raven had no idea what Lorelei was doing, but she hoped that it was something helpful. After several more minutes of jostling and descent, the plane slowed and began to level. Raven leaned back in her seat and pressed her hand to her aching head. Sure, her powers healed open wounds and even some illnesses (that took exceptional concentration, however) but aches and pains weren't affected by her abilities. It sucked.

Taking deep breaths, Raven heard several people thank God and/or Jesus at the top of their lungs. Normally she wouldn't have minded, as she believed that every person was allowed their own opinion even if she didn't fully agree with them, but she had a massive headache and they were being extremely loud. Looking down at the pet carrier, Raven saw a familiar Silver Bengal Cat sitting and staring up at her.

"You will explain later what just happened." The cat nodded once.

C-C-C

**Logan International Airport- Boston, Massachusetts**

Just as her grandmother had promised, the Camaro was waiting for her at Logan International. Unfortunately, Raven didn't get to the car as quickly as she wanted. Security, ambulances, etc. Eventually, when the EMT's decided that she wasn't hurt, she was able to leave to try and find her things. It took longer than she thought it would, but once she found everything and made her way to the car, she was glad that she was free.

The men who brought her car helped her get her bags in the trunk and she pulled out her wallet, slapping several bills into each of their hands, fully aware of the amount she was giving them, "Thank you gentlemen. Have a nice day." She said as she stepped inside the car, made sure the pet carrier was secure, and sped off. Looking back in the rearview mirror just in time, Raven smiled as she saw the men count the money she had handed them and gap, staring at the car as it drove off.

"Dear God!" Raven said as she continued on towards Ipswich, "Freedom!" Pulling out her new phone, Raven dialed her grandmother and waited. Jane didn't pick up so Raven said, "Hey Grams, it's me. I'm just leaving Logan now. I'll call you tomorrow."

As she hung up the cat mewed again and Raven reached over and opened the pet carrier. The cat jumped down as Raven quickly (though still driving) released the carrier and threw it into the back seat. The cat sat down in the front seat as a silver mist formed around it, "Remember to form clothes this time. _Before_ you're fully human." Raven said, remembering once when Lorelei transformed from cat to human in her room and forget to form clothes –something that Raven hadn't known Lorelei could do. Raven had walked in and seen far more then she planned.

The mist grew and Raven saw that, in human form, Lorelei was bending down as if she were tying her shoe. This made sense, Raven realized, as it gave a reason for someone to not be there one minute and be there the next. As Lorelei formed, Raven saw her features become more prominent and a plain black baby tee and short shorts materializing.

"Evelyn is going to have a bitch fit when she sees you in that." Raven mused.

"I get to meet her?" Lorelei asked.

Rolling her eyes slightly, Raven said, "Yes sweetheart, you get to meet her. I think Grams mentioned you slightly and Evelyn knows there is someone else, someone _powerful_, coming with me. We, or rather I, have to explain to Evelyn what you are and why you are so important to me."

"I'm important to you?" Lorelei asked with the vocal equivalent of tears in her eyes.

Not sure whether Lorelei was being serious or sarcastic, Raven replied, "Yes, sweetheart, you are." Lorelei clapped lightly to herself and Raven continued, "What the hell happened on the plane?" Lorelei looked to her, "What was wrong and what did you do?"

Lorelei sat for a moment, thinking hard on her answer. That was never good. Whenever Lorelei had to think about an answer, it meant that it was something that Raven probably didn't want to hear, "A tube was supposed to fit in the engine. It was pulled out."

"Pulled out?"

Nodding Lorelei replied, "It couldn't have been there for long. The plane wouldn't have been able to take off without it in its proper place."

"Could it have fallen out?" Raven asked.

Shaking her head solemnly, Lorelei said, "No. It's not supposed to and it is clamped in the engine really well. I think it was pulled."

"In the middle of the air?" Raven asked dismissively.

"By someone using a power."

Raven flicked on her turn signal and turned into the parking lot of a random restaurant. Turning off the car, she looked over to her friend, "Are you telling me that you think that someone specifically target the plane we were on? Someone wanted that plane to crash?" Lorelei nodded, "You don't think my grandmother is being paranoid, do you? About the shortages, I mean."

"I do not." Lorelei replied with a lone drop of semi-translucent bluish liquid dripped out of her eye.

"So people would have died today if it weren't for you." Raven said, "If I hadn't insisted on bringing you with me, a lot of people would be dead. Great." Lorelei didn't know what to say, "But how did they know which plane I was on? How did they know that I was coming to Massachusetts?"

"I don't know." Lorelei replied.

Starting up the car again and practically growling, Raven said, "That motherfucker, whoever they may be, better know that they have another thing coming if they think that they can somehow hurt other people while trying to get to me." Tearing out of the parking lot, Raven raced towards Ipswich with a newfound sense of irritation. She was going to have to tell her grandmother and the Families about what just happened and she was not looking forward to it.

C-C-C

**Danvers Manor- Ipswich, Massachusetts**

Raven raced through the gates of the Danvers' property and was thoroughly ecstatic to see Evelyn standing there waiting, "Mrs. Danvers." Raven cried as she shut off the car and stepped out, racing into Evelyn's arms and enveloping her in a hug.

"Raven, it is lovely to see you again."

"It's lovely to see you again, too, Mrs. Danvers." Raven replied, "The guys aren't around are they?"

Shaking her head slightly, Evelyn said, "They are at Nicky's at the moment." Raven nodded and smiled, she knew where she and Lorelei were going tonight, "Is all of your luggage in the car?"

"That it is, but I have to introduce you to Lorelei."

"Please do."

Raven motioned for Lorelei to exit the car. Lorelei nodded and exited the car as Evelyn looked her over. Her eyes clearly didn't approve of Lorelei's shorts, but she didn't say anything. Raven was surprised in a very good way. Evelyn must really be getting better after William's death.

"Hi…" Lorelei said in a small voice, "It is very nice to meet you."

"Hello, Lorelei." Evelyn replied, "My pleasure." Lorelei smiled shyly and Raven internally rolled her eyes. Rarely was Lorelei shy but when she was, it was bad, "May I asked, what exactly…"

Interrupting, Raven said, "Ahhhh… We should save that for inside. Were we will be alone. You know?"

"But no one is here." Lorelei said.

"So?" Raven said, "My grandmother has instilled an irritating amount of paranoia in me. We will go inside."

Evelyn nodded, "Yes that would be best." Raven nodded, "Gorman!" She called, causing Raven to smile. There was name she hadn't heard in a while.

"Yes ma'am." Gorman said as he exited the large door, smiling when he saw Raven, "Hey Kiddo."

"Hey Gorman." Raven replied with a light laugh, as she looked him up and down, "You look good."

"I look old." Gorman said with nothing but seriousness in his voice, "But that's to be expected." Raven scoffed, "Now, where are you bags."

"In the car." She said, pointing back to the Camaro, "If you don't mind taking two of them and, Lorelei, you take one of them and the carrier, I'll drive my car to the garage." Gorman and Lorelei agreed and Raven popped the trunk of the car. After the luggage was removed, Raven hopped inside and drove the car to the back of the house were the garage was situated.

As she walked back into the house, towards the wing that she would be staying (she got her own wing! This was because Evelyn refused to go there, as it was William's personal area before his decline and Evelyn hadn't had the strength to go back). Reaching the door to the wing, Raven entered and practically ran towards the bedroom.

Smiling as she entered, Raven was momentarily shocked when she saw Evelyn, "You came in?" Raven asked with a mixture of shock and happiness in her voice.

"I've wasted too much time on numbing my grief." Evelyn admitted, "I wasn't the mother I needed to be. With William gone for good, I realized that my son needed me."

Raven nodded gently before doing a double take, "Wait… What? William is gone for good?"

Nodding somberly, Evelyn said, "Yes. He willed Caleb his Power."

"Um… Why?" Raven asked, clearly aghast.

"So that Caleb would have a semblance of a chance to get rid of Chase." Evelyn said, "The other with the power that you saw in your premonition." Raven nodded, not sure what else to do, "So, are you going to explain this one?" She asked, pointing to Lorelei, who was inspecting the canopy surround the bed.

"What's this?" Lorelei asked with overly intense interest.

"It's a covering to keep mosquitoes away." Raven said, causing confusion on Lorelei's part. Before she could even ask, Raven continued, "It's more of a decoration here."

Lorelei nodded but was still confused, "Where am I going to sleep?"

"Oh!" Raven exclaimed, twisting back and forth between Evelyn and Gorman, "Did someone get a cat bed?"

"I did." Gorman said, pointing to the corner, "Over there."

"Why?" Evelyn asked. Raven motioned to Lorelei, who immediately knew what the meant. She quickly formed into the familiar silver mist and, within seconds, was reduced to a Silver Bengal Cat standing inside empty clothes, "Oh my Lord!"

Gorman stared for a moment, "She's a shape shifter?"

"No," Raven replied, "She's a… Lorelei!" Raven didn't get to finish as Lorelei took interest in a fly swarming around the room. She jumped after it and, after a moment or two, managed to catch it in her mouth. She chewed several times and coughed in disgust, ultimately swallowing with a repulsed look on her face, "Honey, we do not eat bugs."

Lorelei mewed. Raven walked over the bed, picked up the clothes, and tossed them into the private bathroom attached to the bedroom, "Go change." The cat nodded and raced into the bathroom, Raven closing the door behind it.

"What on Earth?" Evelyn asked.

"Eh… That's just Lorelei." Raven said, "She's trying really hard to understand humans and our ways, but sometimes she's… well she doesn't really get it."

"What is she?" Evelyn asked with more force.

Raven sighed, "An Ancient."

"A WHAT?!" Evelyn and Gorman asked in unison.

Raven held her hands to her ears and mumbled, "Ow."

Gorman stared at her, "Raven, Kiddo… Ancients are myths."

"No we're not." Lorelei replied, walking out of bathroom fully clothed, "The Elder's just try to keep our existence from humans. It's part of why the banished me, except I don't think they ever planned on me meeting Raven. Heck, I was half starved and infected when she found me."

"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked. Lorelei looked at her for a moment, turned, and lifted up her shirt just enough so that Evelyn and Gorman saw the puffy claw scars, "Oh…My…"

"They were not happy with me." Lorelei said as she turned around, "And we don't heal like normal on this plane; plus I didn't know what food here would do to me. They knew that and thought I would die of my wounds and lack of food before anyone would find me."

"Assholes." Raven growled.

Lorelei continued, "What they didn't know is, while on this plane, we retain our immortality so I didn't die, I was just in a lot of pain. When Raven found me, I didn't know what to do. She offered me some food and I took it, not really caring what it did to me because I was so hungry. And she had a small first aid kit with her, so she cleaned me as much as she could. After she left, I searched for her for several weeks before I found her. She was nice to me."

"I used my powers to fix her up the rest of the way, but the scars were a given because of the lack of care. The Elder's really tore into her." Raven added, "I thought you were going to kill me…"

"You what?" Lorelei asked with shock lacing her tone.

"Don't look at me that way." Raven said, "You've heard the expression 'Never corner a wounded animal.'" Lorelei nodded, "You were wounded, angry, and in pain. I didn't know what you were or what you were capable of. I took a major risk." Lorelei smiled and Raven turned back to Evelyn and Gorman, "Look, I could explain this in much more detail, but I have a feeling I will have to explain to the boys, Wayne and Bea, Glenn and Rosalind, and Joseph and Meredith as well. Can't we all just get together one day, have a sit down, and hash out the details there?"

Nodding, Evelyn said, "Of course. And I am sure you want to get to Nicky's."

"That I do." Raven said.

"Can I come?" Lorelei asked.

Rolling her eyes internally, Raven said, "No you have to stay here." Lorelei looked ready to cry, "Honey! Sarcasm! I would make you come if I had to."

C-C-C

**Nicky's Bar**

Knocking the 8 ball into the corner pocket, Reid Garwin smiled. Holding out his hand, Reid waited. The random kid, probably from Ipswich High or Gloucester High, sighed and slapped a fifty dollar bill in Reid's hand, "Good shot."

"Thanks." Reid replied, "Hey, come back next week. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Doubt it." The kid replied, "You have a reputation. I'm not willing to lose any more money. My mom would kill me."

"Aw…" Reid said, pocketing the fifty and stalking over to the bar, "Nicky! Can I get a Mountain Dew and a Burger?"

"Sure." Nicky replied. Reid nodded and turned his head to the side, his eyes automatically catching a –from what he gather from her profile- very pretty brunette wearing a black and white striped shirt, jeans and some very nice strappy heels. She turned her head in his direction (not noticing him, however) as Nicky reached over with a drink in his hand. She took it, thanked him, and took a sip. He noticed she had plump, rounded lips (lightly glossed), a straight nose and eyes a color he hadn't seen before. All he could describe it as was "honey green." Like the tea his mom liked so much.

Walking over, Reid smirked confidently. He sat down next to her as she sipped her drink through the straw and looked at her, spinning in his seat. She looked at him for a moment with an eyebrow raised before asking, "May I help you?"

"Maybe." He replied, his signature sexy smirk gracing his lips, "That all depends."

"On?"

"On what school you go to." He answered, catching her slightly off guard, "Now, I've never seen you before, so that means you must be a transfer. Spencer, Ipswich High, or Gloucester High?"

The girl sighed, "Ipswich."

"Ah!" Reid replied, "I was hoping you would say that."

Chuckling, the girl asked, "Now what is that?"

"I don't really like private school girls." Reid admitted, still acting cool, "In comparison they're stuck up and prissy… Not my type; too much drama, even by high school standards. You, however, may…"

The girl laughed again, "Oh dear… I'm afraid you've gotten the wrong impression of me, Reid Garwin." Reid's eyes raised as the girl took a drink of her soda, "Yes, I know who you are. Who doesn't? You have quite the reputation around Ipswich and Gloucester. Take a public school girl out, treat her like a princess, drop her off at the corner and never talk to her again." Reid rolled his eyes a bit, "Commitment-phobe, I hear."

Shaking his head, Reid said, "Maybe I'm just looking for the right commitment."

"And you think that that is me?" She asked with mirth in her voice.

"You never know if you don't try."

The girl finished off her drink, pulled out her cell phone, check a text message, and said, "Well, this has been stimulating conversation but my brother is out in the parking lot and is going to whip my butt if I don't get out there, so we will just have to continue this conversation another day."

She began walking away and Reid stopped her, "Wait… Can't I just get your name?" The girl sighed, "Come on. If I can't have your name then I will just have to make one up for you."

Chuckling and rolling her eyes, the Girl said, "Antoinette. Antoinette Mathias."

"Antoinette." Reid repeated, "I like it. It suits you."

"Thanks." She said, turning and walking towards the door. Just as she exited, Nicky handed Reid his burger and Mountain Dew. He stalked over to Caleb, Sarah, Tyler, and a very reluctant Pogue (who hadn't been the same since his ascension, solely because of Kate's reaction). Caleb was trying to teach Sarah the fine art of Foosball while Pogue moped. Reid and Tyler began a conversation.

With all three occupied in their own ways, they never saw the two girls slink in the bar and hustle towards a shadowy corner, "Are Spencer students here?" Lorelei asked, smoothing down her skirt. She wore a black halter dress, solid black over the torso and ruffled black and red strips with white polka dots for the skirt, and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, hiding most of the uncovered scars.

"Absolutely." Raven replied, "This is the one place where students from Spencer, Ipswich High, and Gloucester High are treated like equals. Nicky doesn't care about money and any fight that breaks out, particularly over class, is totally unacceptable." She said, readjusting the black and silver skull-and-crossbones choker on her neck. She wore her hair in a tight, high ponytail; her shirt was a corset top resembling a modern take of Elizabethan fashion with long black sleeves and a square neckline. Simple jeans stuffed into black boots that reached her knees finished off her look.

"That's nice." Lorelei said, "Where are the Spencer students? I have to know who to avoid."

Raven nodded and pointed towards the bar, "See them?" Lorelei nodded, "That's Aaron Abbot, Kira Snider, and… Well, we'll just call them their minions. Anyone hanging around those two, evade as if your life depended on it. When they see you with me and the boys, you will become a target for a lot of nastiness."

"Why?"

"Jealousy." Raven replied, "They hate us for being so well known."

"What a random reason to hate someone." Lorelei mused, "Now, who is next?" She asked. Raven began pointing out Spencer students and giving her take on them. Lorelei listened intently as the night went on. After a while she looked over to where the boys were, "Who is she? The blonde with the boys?"

Raven looked over and raised an eyebrow, "Hm. That must be Sarah. Tyler told me that Caleb had a girlfriend; that's probably her. But where is Kate?"

"Oh she broke up with him." A voice said, causing the two to jump. The girl, who was clearly Spencer but didn't recognize Raven because of the darkness of the bar and the loudness of the music, continued, "On his birthday, too. Poor guy."

"Really?" Raven asked, "Thanks."

"No problem," The girl said, strutting back on the dance floor.

Lorelei looked at Raven, "Honey, are you okay? You look really angry."

"Come on." Raven said, getting up and running to the exit. Once outside, standing next to the Camaro, she turned to her friend and said in a rough whisper, "Sweetheart, can you teleport back home? I need to stop by Spencer and have a little chat with Kate."

"You're not going to kill her, are you?"

Raven thought for a moment, "Most likely not."

"Raven…"

"What?" Raven asked, "If she broke up with him in his birthday, then she has to know his secret. Kate isn't so cold hearted that she would just break up with him on his birthday for the hell of it. Maybe I can convince her," Lorelei tried to interrupted, "_calmly_ convince her to reconsider."

"No death? Or pain? Or permanent injury?"

Shaking her head, Raven replied, "Not a bit."

Sighing heavily, Lorelei said, "Fine." She and Raven entered the car. Raven started it and sped off. Lorelei reached down as if to tie a shoe (she was wearing heels) and dissipated almost instantaneously. Raven continued to drive towards Spencer, a cold fire flashing through her eyes. She hadn't promised Lorelei that she wouldn't break any of Kate's possessions.

C-C-C

**Spencer Academy**

Raven had parked her car as close to the main dorm building as possible before racing into the building. Before school started, Raven had been in contact with Kate and the latter had told her what building and room she was staying in, the fact that she had a new roommate, etc, etc. It was convenient.

Stalking over to the door that was Kate and Sarah's, Raven tried to look slightly pleasant. It didn't work. Knocking on the door, Raven waited. After a moment the door opened, "Rae?" Kate asked in shock.

"Can I come in?" Raven asked as calmly as possible.

"You're angry."

Acting as if she were mulling over the prospect, Raven said, "Yeah; little bit." Kate looked worried, "Can I come in?"

"Uh… Sure." Kate backed out of the way and Raven entered. Kate closed the door before saying, "I didn't know you were coming back to town."

"Nobody did." Raven replied stoically, "Well Mrs. Danvers, Mr. and Mrs. Parry, Mr. and Mrs. Simms, and Mr. and Mrs. Garwin but I asked them not to tell anyone."

"Why?"

Rolling her eyes slightly, "Why do I do anything weird? Shock value." Kate shrugged uncomfortably, "Now tell me why you broke up with Pogue on his birthday." Kate looked at her shocked, "Tiny town full of gossipy rich people. I was bound to hear sooner or later." Kate stayed silent, "You found out."

Shocked, Kate glared at her, "You knew!"

Laughing bitterly, Raven replied, "Yeah, I knew. I've known those boys since the days they were born."

"How do I know that he wasn't doing whatever that was to me?"

"Are you saying that you think that Pogue has used on you?" Kate tried to speak, but Raven interrupted, "Damn it, Kate, you've known Pogue for years. Knowing who he is and what he is are two very different things. Now you know both. Guess which one you've already known?"

"He should have trusted me." Kate said strongly.

Raven scoffed, "He wasn't allowed to trust you." Kate raised an eyebrow, clearly confused, "Not unless he thinks your safety is in danger and even then…"

"Do you know what it feels like to have someone you love lie to you?" Kate asked.

Raven thought for a moment, "Yeah, I do." She shot back causing Kate to falter, "And they just did it for their own purposes, not because they cared about me. Pogue loves you Kate. Stop acting like a selfish little brat and let him explain."

"I…" Kate tried to say, "I'm not acting like a brat."

"Yeah, you're right." Raven said, "You're acting worse. Like your sister, just in a taller body." Kate gaped; she was nowhere near as bad as her fourteen year old sister, "Just like I didn't get you together with Pogue for him to act like a jealous prick, I didn't get you together just for you to throw him away after you find out the biggest secret he carries. He had wanted to tell you for a long time and this is how you react. Jeez, Kate. And on his birthday? When did you become such an Ice Princess?" Not waiting for an answer, Raven stomped out of the room, leaving Kate to her thoughts.

Thinking back to the week before she was admitted to the hospital, Kate felt tears well in her eyes. She loved Pogue, but over that time, she had felt something with Chase; a kind of heat and passion that she hadn't felt for a year. Half way through her relationship with Pogue, they became complacent and comfortable and their feelings seemed to be the only thing driving them; not excitement, not passion, not anything that kept their relationship interesting. During the Brad Pitt movie, she and Chase sat in the back and kept making funny commentary during the whole thing, eventually even sharing a kiss or two. There had been a spark there that, while regretting it, Kate had enjoyed.

Now Kate had no idea what to do.


	6. Back to Normal Almost

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks a million to gxaxbxbxy, xxkpxx, and KaylaSimms1990. I appreciate the support, and I hope to continue getting it. Sometimes what you see is most definitely not what you get.

C-C-C

**Danvers Manor**

Raven had raced from Spencer in a trance, but the moment she reached the Danvers gates, everything dropped and reality was before her. Slamming on the brakes as she swerved around the house, having planned on driving directly into the garage, Raven screamed "Shit!" She banged on the steering wheel, "Damn it! Fuck! Shit!"

Fuming as ice hot tears dripped down her face, Raven leaned against the steering wheel. She hadn't lost it like that in years and of all people, it had to be Kate. One of her best human friends and she had completely lost it. As much as Raven believed that Kate should have shown Pogue a little bit of leeway, especially given that Kate didn't have all of the facts, she shouldn't have blown up the way she did.

The whole situation that Raven was dealing with was really grating on her and realizing that someone actually was trying to kill her didn't help, "Shit…" Raven mumbled, forming a plan to go to find Kate at some point the next day and apologize, something that Raven didn't do often.

But for now, Raven knew that all she needed was sleep. She somehow managed to get the Camaro in the garage and herself into the house without collapsing in exhaustion, but Raven stopped just as she entered her room, the familiar Silver Bengal Cat asleep on the cat bed that they had moved to the end of the bed, and she heard light music coming from the air duct in the corner. Well, if this wasn't déjà vu, Raven didn't know what was. She entered the room and walked over to the duct.

"Caleb," Raven said into the duct, "Caleb… Please turn down your music." She continued, laughing silently at the look she could imagine on Caleb's face, "I can hear you all the way in the Northeast wing." Caleb, Raven, and the other Sons had learned when they were ten that they could hear things through the air ducts and that they could even talk through them.

Raven smiled when the music turned off. She walked over to the bed and laid down, not even wanting to change out of her Nicky's outfit before falling asleep. Her plan, however, did not pan out the way she had actually planned it. After a moment, a knock came on the door, "For the love of Isis, please go away!" Raven whined, but the door opened.

"Rae?"

Looking up, Raven sighed, "Hello Handsome." Caleb looked at her with nothing but shock written on his face, "Can I go to sleep now?"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Staring blankly at him, Raven replied, "Someone's trying to kill me so Grams basically forced me to come back here, thinking I would be safe, but someone tried to make my plane crash. Luckily, I had a friend with me, so she's handled it."

"What?" Caleb asked, half befuddled and half aghast.

Sighing, Raven said, "Caleb, I'm extremely tired. I'm completely drained and I want to sleep. Can I explain it to you later? Like, you know, when the others are around so I can explain it once and not have to deal with more explanations then I can take?"

Caleb sighed and scooted onto the bed, "Jeez, Rae. You look half dead."

"Do I really?" Rae said, "Then I must look better then I feel."

"What happened to our frightening princess?" Caleb asked, looking into Raven's dull green eyes; eyes that for as long as he had known her had sparkled with mischief but were now void of it. Caleb sighed, thinking back. Despite her grandmother's choice to raise her in California after her mother's death, Raven had always been known as the Princess of Ipswich. Sons of Ipswich, Princess of Ipswich; it made sense…

"A lot." Raven admitted sitting up and walking over to the dresser, "Mind if I change?"

"Nothing I haven't seen before." Caleb said with a shrug. Raven was practically his sister; he'd, as well as his brothers, had seen her change into pajamas plenty of times. He was pretty much desensitized to it. He waited as Raven slipped off her boots and jeans and pulled on a pair of athletic short shorts. He looked away as she pulled off her top and slipped on a camisole, undoing her bra after she did so. She flitted around the room for a moment, throwing her clothes into a laundry hamper, before collapsing on the bed.

Caleb smiled at her, just getting over the shock of seeing her again. A light bulb went off in his head, "Rae? Why are you staying here? If anything, I would have thought you would stay with the Simms."

"Glenn and Rose are gone too much." Raven replied, "I would feel weird just staying in their house with nobody there. And you know why I'm not going anywhere near the dorms at Spencer. Ugh; communal showers, no privacy. Oh, I have to compare schedules with you, the guys, and Kate and Sarah… By the way," She smacked him, "Why did Kate have to tell me about her?" Caleb didn't answer, "Never mind for now."

"There you are, Rae." He said, "That's the Rae I want to see."

"The one that smacks you?"

Caleb nodded before noticing something on Raven's forearm, "Rae, what's that?" He asked, gently taking her left forearm and looking at it, "The symbol of the Horned God?" He asked of the tattoo just below the inside crease of her elbow

"A birthday present to myself." Raven replied, holding out her right arm, "Symbol of the Triple Goddess." On the right arm, in the exact same place as the other, Caleb saw she was telling the truth, "I wanted my eighteenth to be the year I gave myself something and these were what I wanted." Caleb smiled, taking in the tattoos. Not only were they the symbols of the Triple Goddess and the Horned God, the full circles in both housed pentacles.

"Very you, Rae."

Smiling and scooting back to shimmy underneath the covers, Raven said, "Thanks, Caleb. I thought you and the guys would think so." Caleb nodded and Raven laid back. He followed her motions and laid back onto a stack of pillows. The two talked for a while, but not long, before they both fell asleep.

C-C-C

Raven felt herself wake up, but she didn't want to open her eyes. Breathing, Raven smelled the familiar scent of Caleb's cologne assaulted her nose but Raven didn't mind. She loved the different smells of the Sons' colognes. Snuggling deeper into her bed, Raven felt a heat that she hadn't expected, but figured that Caleb must have fallen asleep as well.

Opening her eyes, Raven saw Caleb sleeping soundly on top of the blankets, "Aw… So cute." She mumbled, sitting up and noticing that Evelyn was standing in the doorway, "Hi Evelyn." She said calmly, as if she hadn't been caught in the same bed with the woman's son. Looking over to Caleb and back to Evelyn, Raven had to laugh, "Oh come on! This makes you uncomfortable? All five of us used to have baths together and this freaks you out?"

"You were five." Evelyn stated calmly, but Raven was sure she was more than a little weirded out.

Sighing, Raven pulled the covers down as best she could because of Caleb's weight on them, "Fully clothed, Evelyn. Fully clothed and, as you can see, Caleb is on top of the covers. You needn't worry." Evelyn gave her a smile that said she knew that she was being paranoid, but it was her job as mother, "Besides… I may or may not have my eye on someone."

"Really?" Evelyn said with a raised eyebrow, "Anyone I know?" Raven shrugged, "Um-hum. Well he's a lucky young man in any case. Now how do we wake up my young man?"

Raven looked up at Caleb's sleeping form, "Well, he does sleep like the dead." She mumbled trying to think up a plan. One popped in her head and she looked to Evelyn, "Forgive me." She said, gaining a hesitant look from the elder woman. Standing, Raven looked intently at Caleb, "Caleb! Wake up!" She called as she jumped up and down, "Earthquake!"

"Go away." Caleb mumbled.

"You're in my bed, moron!" Raven replied, "Belly flop!" She said as she flopped on Caleb's midsection.

"For crying out loud, woman!" Caleb said as he laid up, "What the heck was that for?" Raven raised her eyebrow and motioned towards the door. Caleb looked over and a panicked look raced over his face, "Mom!"

Laughing, Raven stood from her bed and walked over to her dresser, "You both need to relax a little." Caleb sighed, "Now get out. I have to change."

Standing, Caleb wrapped his arms around Raven and smiled, "Good to have you back, Rae."

C-C-C

**Clam Box**

Raven sat outside the historical restaurant, munching on her Fisherman's Platter. She had made Caleb promise not to tell the others that she was here, wanting to surprise them at Nicky's later that night. Before that, she had things to do. She didn't want to seem like she was stalking Kate, and she knew that Kate would be in her room later that afternoon, so Raven made the decision to calmly talk to her then.

For now, Raven just had to work up the nerve to actually talk to Kate. That was why she was munching various deep fried seafood's, whilst staring into space. She had never been one to apologize unless it was completely called for. This was completely called for.

Blinking her eyes, Raven brought herself back to reality just in time to see Kate and the blonde that she and Lorelei (who was in the bathroom) had seen the night before walking over to a table with a table. The blonde but her purse down next to Kate and walked off towards the bathroom. Sighing heavily, Raven stood, grabbed hers and Lorelei's plates, and walked over.

"Hi, Kate." Raven said tightly from nervousness.

Kate looked at her hesitantly, "Hi…"

Sighing and placing the food down, Raven sat, "Okay, I'm going to say this once because if I say it more than that, it's going to come out totally wrong." Raven said quickly, "I'm sorry." Kate stared at her in shock, "I have no excuses for what I said except that I've had a very strange, not so good week and it's sort of been grating on me. That doesn't give me a reason to say what I did, though. I'm sorry; it totally came out why different then it should have."

"Raven… I… What did you want to say?" Kate asked.

"What I wanted to say was, do you love Pogue?" Kate nodded with tears welling up in her eyes, "Then let him explain. You're lucky that he's willing to give you one. Trust me; it is way more infuriating and hurtful when you're not offered an explanation. Personal experience."

"What if it's something I don't want to hear?" Kate asked.

"Then make a decision based on _all _of the facts." Raven replied softly, "I'm not saying that you have to get back with him, but why would be willing to let go of two years without knowing everything that's going on. Just give him a chance. Please?"

After thinking for a moment, Kate replied, "I'll think about it."

"That is all I ask," Raven said, "Except, it's not… I have one question for you."

"What?"

"Please forgive me!" Raven said in an overdramatic manner that caused Kate to laugh. Leaning over and hugging Kate, Raven replied, "I was an evil bitch and I beg for your forgiveness!"

Kate laughed as Raven squeezed her, "I'll forgive you if you stop squeezing me!"

"Okay!" Raven said ecstatically as let go, "I am so sorry. I haven't lost it in years and you shouldn't have been the one I lost it at."

"What happened?" Kate asked, "You said this week has been really strange and you look like you're going keel over soon. Are you okay, Rae?"

Sighing, Raven replied, "I don't know. I just need some time to relax and calm down. That's why Grams sent me here. She knows how much this town means to me and how much more at home I am here."

Kate opened her mouth to speak, but the voice that came out wasn't hers, "You moved!" The slightly irritated voice said, causing Raven to turn, "And you took my food." Lorelei said, snatching up a piece of shrimp and eating it.

"Sorry." Raven said, "Kate, Lorelei. Lorelei, Kate. Kate, Lorelei is my cousin. She's been living with my grandmother and I since she turned eighteen. I sort of refused to come back without her."

Kate nodded, fully planning on pleasantly introducing herself and shaking the girls hand, but she was slightly dumbfounded, "Cousin? Since when do you…?"

"Sperm donor's side." Raven said with slight a bitterness lacing every word, "Only decent one."

"You got that right." Lorelei replied, sitting in a slouch; very un-Lorelei-like, "Bunch-a losers."

Kate nodded, knowingly. It was no surprise that Raven's father was a touchy subject. From the moment she was conceived, Raven's father (who no one in Ipswich ever knew much about- other than his name was Joel Watkins and he was born and raised in Eureka Springs, Arkansas) refused to have anything to do with her. He left her mother in a very depressed state after breaking off their engagement and hightailing it out of Ipswich like a bat out of hell. It didn't seem impossible to Kate that his family was similar.

"Kate?" A voice asked and Raven saw the blonde walk up towards them, "Who are…?"

"You must be Sarah." Raven replied, standing and extending her hand, "Raven de Mon."

"Oh, from the phone conversation during dinner at the Danvers."

"You were there?" Raven asked, "Wow… I'm sure I sounded like a charmer." Kate raised her eyebrows, "Oh, you know how the guys and I get when we banter."

"I think it's funny." Lorelei replied, standing and extending her hand as well, "Lorelei Zilberschlag."

"Zilberschlag?" Kate and Sarah asked.

Sighing, Lorelei replied, "It's German." She rolled her eyes like she was annoyed, but Raven knew that Lorelei loved the reaction that she got from people when they heard her "last name."

C-C-C

**Nicky's Bar**

Kate had decided to spend some time in her room to think about what Raven had told her, this time much more clearly minded and not as scared. Raven coming back to her and apologizing had meant a lot to her and Raven believed (or, rather, hoped) she would be forgiven soon enough. Sarah had left after lunch, heading home to Boston. Raven and Lorelei, in cahoots with Caleb, showed up at Nicky's long after the other's and planned on making a slight spectacle of themselves. Just enough of a spectacle to get the attention that they want, of course; nothing too drastic.

Pulling up outside Nicky's, Raven turned off the Camaro and turned to Lorelei, "Be prepared, sweetheart. After this, you will officially be one of us and subject to the shit and brownnosing that we are."

"Why?" Lorelei asked, not fully understanding.

"You're "related" to the Princess of Ipswich." Raven said, rolling her eyes at the nickname, "You're automatically in the eye of everyone. Don't let them get to you."

"I'm confused." Lorelei admitted.

Shrugging, Raven replied, "That's fine, Lorelei… I am too." Lorelei furrowed her eyebrows as Raven stepped out of the car. She followed and Raven locked the door, linked arms with her "cousin," and walked into Nicky's. No one took notice of them, but they would eventually. This time, there was no hiding to show people off; no warning Lorelei about who to look out for.

Raven unlinked her arm from Lorelei's and looked around for the boys. Sighing, she chuckled. Of course Caleb and Pogue, who looked no better than before, were over by the foosball table while Tyler and Reid ripped off anyone they could at the pool table. Surprisingly, it wasn't Aaron this time; Aaron and Kira were over by the bar.

Kira, however, didn't stay there long. She and one of many lackeys from her hoard of skanks stalked over towards them, though not recognizing Raven as they came closer. Without a chance to stop it, Kira collided with Raven and knocked her to the ground. The two girls groaned in pain as Lorelei helped her friend up and the random lackey assisted Kira to her feet.

"Watch where you are going!" Kira snapped.

Chuckling smartly, Raven dusted off her jeans, "Kira Snider. You haven't changed."

Kira looked at her, taking in her red hair, her flashing green eyes, her voice, "Raven de Mon." Kira replied, completely butchering her last name. It was pronounced with a French accent, damn it! It was something that Kira had done almost their entire lives just because she knew it pissed Raven off.

Raven chose to ignore it for the moment; she couldn't bear the thought of Kira knowing that she was getting to her, "Kira, Kira, Kira… I will never understand why you are so pathetic." Lorelei paid attention and made mental notes but her presence was unnoticed.

"I'm not pathetic." Kira replied, "What the hell are you doing here? You come back at Christmas, not fall break."

"Moved back." Raven replied, "You'll be seeing a lot more of me, Kira."

"Oh, sad." Kira said, "You should have stayed away."

"Fuck you, Kira." Raven spat, "You've been a bitch to me our entire lives and you still don't get that you can_not _take me."

"Look, you cow," Kira hissed, causing Raven to roll her eyes. One of Kira's favorite taunts was about Raven's weight (at five feet, seven inches and 125 pounds, Raven was exactly where she should be; not overweight, not underweight), "I don't _need _to take you. I know I'm better than you in every way."

Chuckling, Raven replied, "You anorexic little crack whore, I could beat your scrawny ass into the ground if I wanted to. You aren't better than me in _any _way. Just because daddy has given you everything you've ever wanted doesn't make you better than me. You're boyfriend flirts with and tries to bone other girls, your friends," She indicated the lackey, "only like you because you have the means to give them what they want. Let's face it; you're pretty much just a glorified hooker."

"You should watch your mouth." Aaron's voice said loudly, causing a scene. Raven internally rolled her eyes; this wasn't the spectacle she had been planning on creating, "If it isn't the Princess." Raven sighed nonchalantly, as if she was bored, but she managed to catch a glimpse of the boys. Pogue looked shocked to the point of speechlessness, Caleb was staring at her with a look in his eyes that seemed to be praying for her to not get thrown out, Reid looked like he was going to wet himself with excitement (and he better! She was more of a hothead then he was and, on occasion, was his partner in many different legal to semi-legal crimes), and Tyler had a look that was clearly a mix of alarm and anger. Where those came from, Raven didn't know.

"Abbot." Raven replied, looking around, "You really know how to make a scene." She said, deadpanned.

"Apologize."

Raven raised her eyebrows, "I beg… your pardon?" She asked, again completely deadpanned.

"Apologize to Kira."

Raven looked back and forth between Kira and Aaron before saying, "Um… No."

"Excuse me?" Aaron said, "I said apologize."

Raven rolled her eyes, her gaze lingering on Lorelei, before boring her gaze into Aaron's eyes, something that often made people extremely uncomfortable, "And I said no. Why are you trying to force me to apologize to her? What, she can't handle me herself? Oh, wait…"

"You little…" Aaron said, raising him hand to back hand her across the face. She saw the Sons jolt forward but his hand was stopped before they got to him or Used. Lorelei, in her vice-like grip, had taken Aaron's arm and now held it in exactly the spot she had grabbed it. He tried to yank his arm from her and couldn't.

"Nice reflexes." Raven said, continuing her deadpanned tone.

"Thank you." Lorelei replied, "Now, you," She said, turning her attentions to Aaron, "you need to learn manners, but we don't have time for that now. Back off or I will break something." Lorelei released his arm and looked around at the crowd, "Back to whatever you were doing, people. Show's over! We aren't that interesting, I promise."

The hustle and bustle of the bar slowly trickled back to normal as Raven walked over to the bar, "Sorry about that, Nicky." She said, clearly on an apologizing roll (though not with Kira).

"It's okay for now, Princess." Nicky said, pouring a Coke, "Don't let it happen again."

"Course not." Raven replied, turning and walking up to Lorelei.

"Where to?" Lorelei asked.

Raven nodded over towards the foosball table. Eyes followed them as the two walked over to Caleb and Pogue. Raven held out her arms to Pogue, who smiled and pulled her into one of his bear hugs, "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked as he released her.

"Good question." Tyler's voice said, causing Raven to turn.

"That seemed like a bitching tone." Raven said, "Here I thought you would be happy to see me."

"Chill, Baby Boy." Reid said, reaching around the younger boy, nearly knocking him over, and hugged Raven, "Now, what _are _you doing here?"

"Moved back; I'm staying at the Danvers." Raven replied with a sly smile. The Sons all immediately looked to Caleb and could see that he wasn't at all shocked by this.

"What?" Tyler practically yelped.

"You didn't tell us?" Pogue accused.

"Caleb!"

Raven felt that now was a good time intervene, "Chill out, hot heads." She said, "He didn't know until last night and I sort of made him promise not to tell anyone." The boys seemed to relax for the time being, "Okay, and now that I have all of your attentions, I would like to introduce someone." Lorelei, who had been standing there the whole time, yet had managed to avoid notice, walked slightly forward, "This is Lorelei, my cousin. Lorelei, this is..."

"Caleb, Pogue, Reid, and Tyler." Lorelei replied as she held out her hand, "Lorelei Zilberschlag."

Caleb extended his hand, though confused, but it was Reid who said, "Rae, you don't…" Raven shot him a look that told him to keep his mouth shut, "Okay, then. Lorelei, right?" Lorelei nodded, "Well, if you don't mind, we will get to know each other a little bit more later. Rae, come dance with me."

"What?" Raven asked.

"Dance with me, woman." He replied, gently tugging on her arm and pulling her out on to the dance floor.

"Reid, what are you doing?" Raven asked with a giggle as Reid pulled her close to him.

Chuckling, Reid replied, "Nothing; just enjoying a dance with my number one girl." Raven laughed, "Well, that and trying to make Baby Boy lose his shit." He added in a whisper in her ear.

"Huh?" Raven asked.

Laughing while swaying to the music, Reid said, "Rae, please tell me you noticed! Our little Ty-Ty Baby is _completely _in love with you. I am nothing if not observant and I have very often observed him after he talks to you over the phone, when he comes back from visiting, etc, etc. He wants you, Princess."

Raven stiffened, something that wasn't lost on Reid, "You're probably just misreading."

"That I'm not." Reid replied with an air of triumph in his voice, "And I see that you like him too. Why aren't you too together, then?"

"Can we change the subject?" Raven asked, "For instance, "Sarah is my grandmother's name"? Yeah, genius, both Tyler and Kate told me about that one." Reid, who continued to dance, stiffened uncomfortably, "You're grandmother's names are Marie and Alice. Dumbass. Please think up better lines. You'll need them if you plan on finding that girl you're so intent on finding." Reid looked to the floor uncomfortably, "Oh, Reid, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, I know what you want and you're not going to find it by using pick-up lines."

"What happened to talking about you and Baby Boy?" Reid asked.

"I changed the subject. Care to again?"

Reid laughed and pulled her into a hug, "Missed you, Princess."


	7. To The Point

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks to xxkpxx, KaylaSimms1990, and gxaxbxbxy!

C-C-C

**Ipswich Cemetery**

It had been a long time; a very long time. Raven hadn't seen her mother's grave in years, not since she was thirteen, and she had never been alone. Raven had to think and she really needed some advice, but there wasn't anyone she could think to go to that wouldn't tell someone else. So Raven came up with the most realistic solution; Mom.

She leaned against the wall of the mausoleum, feeling the letters of her mother's name press into her forehead. This mausoleum held many Universal Beings from her line; not as far back as Faith and her daughter, but close, and there was still plenty of room.

"Mommy," Raven whispered to the wall, tears dripping down her face and onto the surprisingly clean floor, "What am I going to do? Someone is trying to kill me. Why? When I have ever done anything that…? I'm so scared. And of course Tyler is avoiding me. He'll probably do it even more when he finds out what's going on." The logic behind her last statement wouldn't have made sense to anyone but Raven. Sure, he'd be around, trying to protect her like the others, but he wouldn't be alone with her, he would probably be distant, and there was no way he would talk to her about anything that wasn't friendly conversation or the plan to keep her safe.

"_The guys just wouldn't understand."_ Tyler had said. But Reid had made it clear the night before that he was very understanding. Why couldn't Tyler pick up on that?

"If you keep standing like that, you won't get those words out of your forehead." A voice said, causing Raven to jump. Raven turned and smiled as an extremely elderly woman with dark brown skin descended the stairs into the mausoleum, "Hello Raven."

"Aggie." Raven said as she walked over to the extremely short, wrinkled woman and gave her a hug. Agatha Verity stood on her tiptoes as Raven stooped; the Verity's were the only other family of Universal Beings that Raven's family had ever known and they had been in Massachusetts for longer than her family, "Glad you got Grams' letter. With, you know, you having some ridiculous aversion to that newfangled creation, the telephone."

"Gah!" Aggie said, "Telephones. Mindless technology. It takes away from what we are and how we commune with the Earth."

"And you wonder why your great-granddaughter has issues with the way you do things, Aggie." Raven said, thinking of Aggie's only living relative (her daughter and granddaughter had both died of cancer, something that their healing powers couldn't stop).

"And you wonder why I am so sensitive to the Earth and her pleas."

Rolling her eyes, Raven replied, "Aggie, you're ninety six. Even for our kind, that's quite a lifespan. Your great-granddaughter is fifteen. You really have to give her some room to grow; like a tree." The elderly woman rolled her eyes, but Raven knew that Aggie was taking what she said seriously, "Don't give me that. You know I'm right."

"I know nothing of the kind." Aggie replied, turning her attention to the mausoleum, "This is very clean for a mausoleum. Have you had someone cleaning it?"

"Not that I know of. Grams never told me that we were." Raven said, "It's weird though. Who would clean a mausoleum?"

"I don't know." Aggie said.

Raven sighed, "I'll call Grams and ask if she hired anyone to keep it clean. Need a ride back to your place, Aggie?" Raven asked. Aggie lived just outside of Ipswich with her great-granddaughter in a very comfortable home –her family also had their fair share of money- that had been in their family for years. Raven had been there often when visiting Ipswich.

"No, I will be fine." Aggie replied, "I would not want you to go out of your way. My home isn't exactly on the way back to…" She trailed off, causing Raven to roll her eyes. Aggie's family had once been very close to the Families but a rift had occurred several generations before –if she remembered correctly, it was Caleb's great-great grandfather (a completely irrational man, as anyone would admit) who had offended Aggie's grandmother in a completely inacceptable way- thus the only link between the Covenant and Aggie's family was Raven's family. No one really remembered how Francis Danvers had offended Lenora Verity but that had become immaterial.

"Aggie, please be nice. I don't want to hear anything derogatory about my friends when I visit." Raven replied, "And the same goes for them."

Aggie took a deep breath and replied, "For you, I will remain civil."

"Thank you." Raven said with a smile, "And you are sure that you don't need a ride?"

"One hundred percent," Aggie replied.

C-C-C

It wasn't like Reid Garwin to be alone, but he was glad that he was. Ever since Pogue's ascension, Reid had been a little more than slightly freaked out and he needed some time alone to clear his head. He had been wandering around Ipswich for about an hour and his feet had brought him to the sea side. Taking in a deep breath, Reid stopped and looked around. He was completely alone with the exception of some seagulls. It didn't surprise him, though. It was October and it was getting late; the cold had herded most sensible people inside.

Reid saw a bench near where he was, walked to it, and sat down. It wasn't just Pogue's ascension that had him thinking; there was also his conversation with Raven during their dance at Nicky's. She had been right; completely right. He was looking for a specific kind of girl and pick-up lines were most likely not the way to go. Most people thought he was a ladies' man, one that had a new girl every week and slept around a lot. That just wasn't true! Sure, he'd dated around a bit but he didn't sleep around –that he just did on occasion and it was never something that was awkwardly spontaneous.

That also meant that what he had told Antoinette was true. He was only looking for the right commitment to commit to; he wanted a relationship exactly like his parents. Now that didn't mean he wanted to be them, he just wanted their relationship. His parents were the closest couple he had ever seen in his entire life and they had been through so much together. The mix of his father having the Power and the difficulties that came with that and his mother having had Stomach Cancer (Meredith had been in remission for nearly ten years, but every time she went for a checkup, Joseph was clearly anxious) wasn't easy but they were still in love after all these years.

Sighing heavily, Reid stood; he really needed to get back to school.

"Well, look who it is." Reid heard a voice say; he smiled his signature smirk and turned around to face the speaker.

"Antoinette."

"You remembered." She said, a sassy smirk of her own gracing her pouty lips, "Here I thought you would forget, what with your reputation and all."

Sighing, Reid replied, "Like I said, I have my reasons."

"Right, you're looking for the right commitment, I remember." Antoinette replied, "Why?"

"Because it's better to be alone than to be with someone you can't stand. I don't want to be either." Reid replied, clearly catching Antoinette off guard, "What? I can be deep."

With a chuckle, Antoinette replied, "I guess you can." Reid watched as Antoinette seemed to consider something. After a moment, she said, "Um… I really should get going, but it was nice to see you again."

"Yeah… You too." Reid said, a little bit hesitant but not willing to find a reason to force her company. Reid watched as she smiled, turned, and walked away. After a moment, she stopped and turned back. Quickly, she walked back to Reid, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and retreated. Reid stood there for a moment, watching her go, his smile returning. He had a feeling about this one.

C-C-C

**Pogue's Apartment**

The weeks since his birthday had been horrible. Pogue had just floated around since Kate left him and, though he was excited to see Raven again, the only thing that he knew would bring him out of his funk was getting the chance to explain things… He just never imagined that happening.

That was, of course, until Kate came to his door. She was bundled up in a sweater and hat and he was standing in the doorway without a shirt on… It was definitely an awkward moment for more than one reason, "Kate." He finally said after what seemed like hours.

"Hi… Um… Can I come in?"

Shocked silent for a moment, Pogue finally said, "Um, yea… Sure. Come on in." He moved out of the way, closed the door behind her, and snatched a shirt off of a chair has he followed her into the living room. Slipping on the shirt, Pogue watched in anticipation as Kate turned towards him. She didn't say anything, "Um… What can I do for you?"

"Well… I came for that explanation you wanted to give me." Pogue, stunned for multiple reasons, had to nonchalantly lean against the wall to stand.

"After all this time?" Pogue asked, "Why now?"

Sighing, Kate said, "I talked to Raven." Pogue stood straight up; he didn't know that Raven knew, "She said some things that made me think. I do love you, Pogue. I want to understand, but I can't promise that I will. I just need to know what it was that I saw."

"How much time do you have?"

"As long as it takes." Kate replied. She was caught off guard by Pogue rushing up to her and pulling her into a deep hug, "Pogue…"

"I'm so sorry, Katie." He whispered, "I wanted to tell you; more than anything, I swear I did!"

Pulling back and looking Pogue in the eye, Kate asked, "They why didn't you?"

"I couldn't." Pogue replied, "My father would have killed me. The only reason Caleb told Sarah is because she was in danger."

"But two years, Pogue." Kate replied, "Two years and every time I mentioned anything remotely…" She struggled to find the right word, "supernatural… you told me that it was nonsense. You looked me in the eye and told me it was ridiculous."

"I told you, Kate. I had to."

"Just tell me what I saw and don't leave anything out."

Pogue nodded and indicated the couch. Kate sat, Pogue resting on the cushion next to her, and waited. She had wanted answers before and she finally had the strength to face them. She hoped to God she didn't hate what she heard.

C-C-C

He was being a scared little mouse, he knew it. Tyler was the quiet one, sure, but he wasn't coward… Or, at least, he wasn't unless Raven was involved. When Abbot almost hit her, Tyler had felt a rage shoot through him that he had never felt before; he had wanted to beat Abbot with the nearest hard object until the asshole was unconscious. That, however, was nothing compared to the inane jealousy he felt when Reid and Raven had danced together. Tyler knew that he had no claim to her, so he could do nothing, even if she wanted him to. He wanted desperately to bend to her, do anything that she asked of him, protect her, and see to it personally that she had anything that she wanted without her even asking for it.

But that couldn't happen. There were times when he had been close to giving in, to throwing caution to the wind and proving to Raven exactly how he felt (he was sure that she was skeptical because of the way he acted), but then he remembered back to the many times he and his brothers came to the subject of Raven and what they would do if she happened to bring any boyfriends into the picture… One of those conversations stuck out particularly clearly to Tyler and included several colorful and well detailed plans involving chicken blood, clowns, and ancient rusty dental utensils. The clowns had been Reid's idea.

Tyler saw no way that him being one of them would change their feelings about anything. That was why he was hiding in the tree house that his, Reid's, Pogue's, and Caleb's father's built when he was four. He needed to be alone.

That didn't last as long as he hoped, however. After a while, Tyler heard a car approaching. It wasn't Gorman's, there was far too little noise for that, and when he looked out the small window of the tree house, he nearly collapsed. The car he didn't recognize, the occupant he did. A blue Chevy Camaro being driven by Raven stopped next to his Hummer. Raven exited the car and Tyler couldn't help notice how the setting sun reflected off of her hair.

"Tyler Simms!" She called up to the tree house, "Get down here!" He skulked back and heard, "Damn it, Tyler, stop acting like a baby!" He groaned; it was true, he was acting like a baby. Mustering up his courage, Tyler slunk over to the trap door and exited the tree house.

As he reached the ground, Tyler turned, "Hey, Rae. How's it going?"

"It's good." She replied, her anger seemingly gone, "How have you been? We haven't talked you called to tell me about Sarah."

"I've been okay." He replied, wondering when she would get to the heart of the reason as to why she was there."

"Good, I'm glad." She said. They stood there for a moment before Raven, quickly, swatted him on the back of the head. He was caught so off guard that he didn't know what to say, "Really Tyler? The tree house? I get that you're trying to avoid me, but really?"

"Rae, I'm not trying…" Raven cut him off with a look, "Raven look, I…" He didn't know what to say.

"You're trying to avoid me." She finished for him, walking closer to him. He really wished she wouldn't! From where she was he could smell her perfume and it made him weak in the knees, "Why?"

"Rae, I… We can't."

Staring at him for a minute, Raven asked, "Did this conversation just change subjects?"

"Yes and no, Rae." Tyler said, "Look, I…"

Raven scoffed, "This is about us. I see. Look, Tyler, I know how I feel about you and how you feel about me. I'm just hoping that you will somehow get over whatever it is that makes you believe that the guys just wouldn't understand. Or just stop thinking so much." Tyler raised his eyebrows, "Stop thinking; just act." Raven explained as she walked even closer to him. He breathed in her scent and, as she wished and he hadn't planned on doing, he leaned forward and kissed her. Then, mere seconds later, he pulled away with a look of personal distain on his face, "Well that didn't last long."

"Rae, we can't…"

"Blah, blah, blah… And then ten minutes later 'blah'…" Raven replied, "Seriously, you're starting to sound like a broken record. How do you know they won't understand? Have you asked them?"

"Of course not, Rae! They would throttle me."

Sighing, Raven mumbled to herself, "You have got to be shitting me…" Looking back to him she said, "Whatever, you're parents are looking for you." She raced back to her car and sped off, leaving Tyler to wallow in his self-pity.


	8. Admitting The Truth

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks to KaylaSimms1990, xxkpxx, gxaxbxbxy, and Derek-Edward-Lorcan!

C-C-C

**The de Mon Estate**

After her "meeting" with Tyler, Raven was furious. Was that boy blind or just really, really unobservant? Raven had often times wondered over the past two years why she had fallen for him. He somehow managed to be stubborn and subservient at the same time. But then she remembered; he was sweet, loyal, charming, and his eyes just sucked her into him in a way she couldn't describe. Damn him.

Not wanting to go back to the Danvers', Raven decided to visit yet another place she hadn't been in years. Her old home was still owned by her grandmother and she was sure that it would be hers once she graduated from college. Stepping out and looking around, Raven noticed something odd. The flowers and trees were alive and well, trimmed back neatly, and perfectly arranged. It was as if nothing had changed.

Raven raised her eyebrows, but took out the key to the building that she had forced her grandmother to get made before she left California. Walking to the door, Raven couldn't help but stop for a moment and think about the last time she had been there. Her mother had been rushing her out of the house because they were going to be late for their plane. When she visited Ipswich, Raven hadn't ever wanted to go back and her grandmother was all too happy for her to stay away if she wanted. Jane had her own set of painful memories stored inside those walls.

Raven put her key into the lock, but when she turned it nothing happened. Raising her eyebrows, Raven removed the key and turned the doorknob; the door was unlocked. Shocked, Raven entered slowly, closing the door as noiselessly as possible. Walking silently, Raven looked around. Everything was exactly as it was when she left; the furniture hadn't been moved (though all of the pieces were now covered with sheets), pictures were still on the mantles and the walls, and there wasn't a speck of dirt anywhere.

"What the fuck?" Raven asked herself. This house had been empty for eleven years. That was more than enough time for some dirt and dust to accumulate.

"Watch your language, young lady." A voice said, causing Raven to turn.

"Gorman!" Raven said in relief as the elder man descended the stairs, "What are you doing here?" Gorman was silent, but Raven noticed the fresh dirt on his hands and the fact that he was being very careful not to touch anything, "Were you… taking care of foliage?"

"It's my job. I'm the groundskeeper; that's what I do."

Raven raised her eyebrows, "Yeah, for original house. There are individual staffs working at the main houses and, sure you're like the head of all of that, but Grams let all of ours go when… We're you planning on dusting?" She asked when she noticed the package of dusting cloths in his back pocket. Again, Gorman was silent, "Gorman, have you been keeping up the house and the grounds since the accident?"

"Yes." Gorman answered, knowing he had been caught.

"Why? You're not getting paid extra."

"I know."

Raven raised her eyebrows again. Gorman had been doubling his work load for over a decade without anything to show for it, "Again I ask… Why?"

"Because it would be a shame for such a beautiful house fall into shambles." Gorman replied, but Raven sensed something else completely was behind his reasoning.

"Oh dear…" Raven mumbled, an internal battle raging, "Gorman, if I told you something would you promise not to get mad?"

Gorman looked at her suspiciously, "What have you done that could possibly make me mad?"

Raven bit her lip nervously and her eyes landed on the covered couch, "Sit down." Gorman did, but he had his eyes on her the whole time. Raven paced for a moment before sitting down next to Gorman and saying, "Okay, first things first; I know about you and Grams."

"What?" Gorman asked, as if trying to pretend that he had no idea what she was talking about.

Sighing, Raven said, "Don't pretend. I've known for years that you and Grams were together when you were younger."

Gorman felt himself collapse against the back of the couch, "How much do you know?"

Raven sighed, "Everything." Gorman's eyes grew, "How you met, her dad's issues, Charles and the others helping her sneak around, the fact that you two were together after she was married…" Gorman groaned, "I'm not judging either of you. She told me point blank that you were the only man she ever really loved."

"Really?" Gorman asked, "She… actually said that."

Nodding, Raven replied, "Yes, she did. For crying out loud, she's been completely in love with you since 1957! She still wears the ring that you gave her. I've never seen that thing leave her hand." Gorman leaned forward, positioned his elbows on his knees, and placed his head in his hands, "Erm… I also know about the fight that you had after mom's funeral."

"Oh dear…"

"Again, I'm not judging anybody. But, this was the point that I needed to come to." Gorman looked at her, completely mortified, "I know that Grams told you that she always thought that there could be a chance that you were mom's father." Raven heard Gorman's breathing grow rapid; this was clearly something he didn't like remembering, "The fact of the matter is Grams only told you half of the truth."

"What do you mean?" Gorman asked, standing.

Raven stood slowly and looked Gorman in the eye, "Grams told me not to tell you. She thought that after all of these years you wouldn't forgive her, but I'm holding onto the hope that you still love her enough to let go of the past." Raven said, her eyes watering slightly, "Grams had always believed one hundred percent that you are mom's father. She never had the tiniest amount of question about it."

"What?" Gorman asked, sitting back down, "Nearly forty five years and… I always said she… Why are you telling me now?"

"Because I don't have a choice!" Raven replied, tears now freely flowing down her pale face, "Someone is trying to kill and they are getting very, _very _close. Grams is back in California, mom is dead… I _need _someone who will be there just for me. Caleb, Tyler, Reid, Pogue, and their parents are going to be too busy freaking out about trying to protect me that I'll probably end up crawling into a corner and having to deal with everything by myself. And Lorelei… I mean, she has the best intentions, but… I need _family_. That's not to say that she isn't, it's just… Didn't you ever have any inclination? Grams always said that mom got your mulish sense of duty. She says that I have it too."

Gorman ran his hand over his head. As he looked back, there were things that he couldn't believe didn't tip him off. The only reason he hadn't rekindled his relationship with Jane after her husband died and she returned with Laurel was his fear that he couldn't be the dad to a baby that he, and everyone else, believed was another man's. He could have, and –in fact- did, love Laurel as his own but he felt that he wouldn't be the father that he felt she deserved, "After all these years… Why didn't she tell me?"

"Fear, I guess." Raven replied, her voice breaking, "I couldn't tell you. Grams' mind is a frightening place to get lost in."

Gorman felt the weight of what she had told him barreling down on him. He was angry at Jane for not telling him, but he loved her just as much as he did the day he proposed. He had always loved Laurel as his own and when he found out that Joel had left her because she was pregnant, he had been ready to hunt the bastard down and use him for target practice. Gorman had never married; never had any blood family. Or so he thought.

The sound of Raven's sobs were nearly unbearable. Knowing that the girl he had cared about for so many years was, in fact, his granddaughter made his heart swell with pride while also breaking it. He looked up at her puffy, red, tear-streaked face. He stood and wrapped his arms around her. The sigh of relief that she gave was not lost on him, "I'm here for you, Kiddo." He held her and let her cry into his shirt, something that he was sure that she had needed to do for quite a long time.

C-C-C

**Danvers Manor**

Tyler was uncomfortable. That much was obvious to everyone in the room. Pogue, Caleb, and Reid watched him pace back and forth across the room like a mouse from the table in which they were sitting at. Reid shuffled the deck of cards in his hands and internally shook his head at his best friend. This had to do with Raven, he knew. Lorelei stared at Tyler from the large chair she was sitting in, trying to find reason for his actions and not really succeeding. She looked over to the table and the look that Reid was giving Tyler gave her the answer she wanted.

After his dance with Raven, Reid had pulled Lorelei aside under the guise of getting everyone drinks (he was sure that Raven was worried that he would try to put the moves on Lorelei, but that wasn't on his mind) and asked if she had noticed anything between the two. Lorelei had been thrilled that someone else had noticed and insisted that Raven was all for becoming more than friends. It didn't surprise Reid that Tyler was being the pansy.

"Where the hell is Rae?" Reid asked with a slight whine in his voice.

"She went out this afternoon. She called me, sounding pissed, to tell me that she'll probably be out a little late because she needed to spend some time alone." Lorelei replied, "I can't possibly imagine why." Only Reid caught the hint of sarcasm in her voice. He knew just as well as she did that it probably had something to do with the reason that Tyler had for pacing around.

The door opened causing the boys at the table and Lorelei to look in that direction; Tyler kept pacing. It was Raven. She avoided Tyler and walked right over to Lorelei and squished herself in the chair next to her. As Reid dealt the cards, Pogue looked over to the girls and said, "You two are going to have to explain, you know? We know Rae doesn't have a cousin."

"Yes she does." Lorelei replied.

"Close enough." Raven reiterated. Reid stopped dealing as he, Caleb, and Pogue stared at them with unconvinced looks. Sighing, Raven replied, "Fine. Evelyn's probably already told the rest of your parents… She's an Ancient."

Now Tyler stopped pacing, "A… What?"

"An Ancient." Raven repeated.

"You're going to have to explain to us how you found an Ancient." A voice said from the doorway. Raven looked over to the door and watched as all of the boy's parents entered; Wayne Perry had been the one to speak. She didn't miss the glowing look on Rosalind Simms' face. It was the same look Rose always gave Raven; one that clearly said, "you're mother would be proud."

"I tortured and exiled and she found me wondering around." Lorelei replied bluntly but softly.

"I still can't believe that you're actually… one of them. We were always led to believe that the Ancients were myths." Joseph Garwin said. Raven had to internally chuckle at the aura that he was giving off. It was as if he wanted to touch her to make sure she was real.

Lorelei nodded, "As the Elders have always wanted it. They don't like it when we get too curious about humans… Hence the torture and exile." She looked down, as if slightly embarrassed by what had occurred.

Raven felt the disbelief in the room, "They still don't believe us… Hey! Transform into your true form."

Raising her eyebrows, Lorelei asked, more softly still, "Are you sure?" Raven nodded, "Okay…" Lorelei stood and took a deep breath. In an instant, Lorelei had grown to eight feet tall, though she was standing in a squat that made her about six and a half feet tall. Her body no long resembled a human, but some kind of wolf creature with massive talon-like claws and fang-like teeth. She was covered in black fur and large wings sprouted from her back. Her eyes were completely white.

Silence.

That was, until, Reid managed to get his voice back, "Damn! It's always the quiet ones."

"Reid!" Meredith shot at her son.

"What?" Reid asked innocently, "No one could imagine what it would be like to tango with something like that?" His double meaning was clear.

"Reid!" Meredith and Joseph exclaimed.

Lorelei shifted back to her human form, "Um… What does that mean?"

Reid's eyes widened and he looked as if he were more than willing to explain it to her, but Raven stopped him, "I'll explain later, sweetheart." Lorelei nodded, but still looked a little confused and even somewhat embarrassed.

"Honey?" Rosalind asked after taking a good look at Raven, "Have you been crying?"

"No." Raven said, slightly defensively, "Why?"

Rosalind raised her eyebrows, "It's either that or you've been smoking pot because your eyes are beet red."

Damning her bad luck and fully aware that everyone's eyes were on hers, Raven replied, "Fine… I may or may not have had a minor emotional break down today. I've been stressed lately." Everyone seemed sympathetic, but Raven knew that it would only get worse when they knew the truth. Mumbling to herself, Raven said, "Who'd have thought that it would be Gorman that I broke down in front of…"

A heavy sigh escaped from Glenn's mouth, "You told him, did you?"

"Uh-huh..." Raven replied without the slightest hesitation or humiliation. From the looks she and Glenn were getting, it was clear that only they knew what was going on.

"Your grandmother is going to kill you, you know that right?" Glenn asked.

Shaking her head, Raven replied, "No she won't. She'll be pissed but she'll get over it once she realizes that she won't have to lie anymore. It's been really hard on her over the years."

Glenn sighed but nodded. He knew Raven was right; it had killed Jane to keep the truth from Gorman. Hell, the only way he knew was Laurel. She told him when they were seventeen under pain of castration and any other form of torture she could think of.

"What are you talking about?" Caleb asked.

"Nothing." Raven replied.

"Rae…"

Sighing, Raven looked around the room and said, "Fine…"

"Raven," Glenn warned, "I don't think that this is the time or place to…"

"Glenn, I have someone trying to kill me! I don't give a shit if this is the time or place." She looked back to the Sons at the table, "Gorman is my grandfather."

"What?" Reid asked, his playing cards forgotten.

"And what was that about someone trying to kill you?" Tyler asked, panic lacing his tone. Raven shot a look at him that clearly told him that she didn't approve of his worry. She was still pissed off at him.

Lorelei gently walked next to her friend and, taking her by the shoulders, pulled her back to the large chair, "You should relax. You don't want to have another break down." Raven shook her head, "But you really need to tell them."

"Yay! Story time." Raven replied stoically. She was drained, Lorelei could tell. This was not going to be fun.


	9. The Calm Before The Storm

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

_A/N:_ Thanks to KaylaSimms1990, gxaxbxbxy, and Awkward and the Muse! You're awesome and sorry for taking so long! Things have been really hectic for me in the past few months.

C-C-C

**Danvers Manor**

"Sweetheart," Rosalind Simms said carefully, pulling a chair over to where Raven was sitting, "What is going on?"

Raven chuckled bitterly and ran her hand through her hair, "If I had that answer, I wouldn't be here right now. I'd have already found this son of a bitch..." Raven stopped, reminding herself that she was in the presence of adults who wouldn't fully appreciate her language, "this S.O.B and dealt with them."

"By yourself?" Tyler asked, panic rising in his voice.

"If need be." Raven replied.

Tyler's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head while Caleb, Pogue, and Reid managed to stay more reserved, "Do you have a goddamn death wish?!" Tyler asked hysterically.

"Tyler!" Rosalind said sternly, "Language."

"Sorry Mom." Tyler replied, still freaking out.

Raven chuckled bitterly, "Aw... You actually care if I kick the bucket? I'm loved..."

Tyler gaped, clearly aghast. Did she really think that he didn't care if she died? There was no way; she had to be joking with him. Raven had a very morbid sense of humor. Then again, her deadpanned way of speaking made it hard to truly understand the meanings behind anything that she said.

"Don't have a coronary, baby boy..." Reid said before turning his attention to Raven, "Rae... What do you know?"

Raven, completely drained of all energy, looked away. Lorelei stooped down and gave Raven a concerned look. Raven sighed, causing Lorelei to give her another look -this one seemed to be questioning. Raven nodded and Lorelei looked up.

"I'll explain everything. Raven is far too exhausted to deal with anything pertaining to this psychopath, whoever it is." She said, her voice clear and strong. It was a voice of someone who wasn't looking for any arguments. Reid momentarily mused on how this could possibly be the same curious, flighty girl that he had come to know Lorelei as.

"Alright, dear." Evelyn said, "Please go on."

Lorelei nodded, "It started about eight months ago. Raven began having what we've been calling "power shortages;" her powers would stop working at random." Lorelei took in the way that the Sons were reacting; Caleb was calm and cool -leaning against a book shelf- but clearly concerned, Pogue was leaning forward across the table that he had been sitting at in interest and worry, Reid was leaning back in his chair as if he didn't want to even think about something bad happening to Raven, and Tyler was practically having a seizure where he stood but he managed to keep most of his reaction inside, "It happened eleven times over six and half months and every time it happened, something would go wrong."

"Wrong?" Caleb asked.

It wasn't lost on Lorelei that none of the parents had spoken since Rosalind reprimanded Tyler, but she looked past that, "Once she was on a city bus in Palo Alto that went out of control; another time she was almost hit by a guy after his motorcycle skidded across an oil slick on the road. Oh, and Raven's personal favorite, the bowling alley sign that almost feel on her."

Raven sighed and shook her head, "Haven't been bowling since..." She turned to Evelyn, "I'm sure Grams already told you all of this. I take it that that is why none of you have said anything."

"The details were sketchy, but we got the point loud and clear." Evelyn replied.

"Great... And I haven't even called her and told her about incident on the plane yet. That one will most definitely give her a hear attack."

"Plane?" Caleb asked again.

Raven looked up at Lorelei, who nodded, "Our plane, on our way here, began crashing." Everyone in the room jerked forward slightly, "I managed to find the problem and fix it before anything too terrible happened but it was clearly sabotage... Mid-air sabotage. There was no way that what happened could have happened before the airplane departed."

"So you're thinking that someone did this with magic?" Pogue asked.

"Exactly." Lorelei replied.

Raven stood, "So I have a lunatic with a vendetta against me trying to kill me, I have no idea who they are, and they are magical so I can't even take the slightest of precautionary measures that one would usually take in this situation... I mean, whoever it was knew that I was coming here and what plane I would be on. The only people who knew _all _of that information was me, Grams, and Lorelei. What else do they know?"

"Rae..." Tyler said, walking towards her.

"Please don't." Raven shot back, knowing his reasons for what he was doing, "That is not what I need right now." Tyler understood but no one else did. Most wrote it off as their close friendship and some inside joke while Reid and Lorelei looked deeper, "What I need is a glass of water. I'll be right back."

With that, Raven left that room. The tension finally broke everyone down and Glenn was the first to speak, "Do we know of anyone who has personal vendettas against Universal Beings?"

Wayne shook his head, "No. Universal Beings are considered some of the most powerful beings in existence. To anyone with half a brain, targeting one would be suicide or worse."

"Someone trying to make a point?" Joseph suggested, "There have been those who would do anything for attention."

"No." Caleb's voice came loud and clear through the bustling, "No. This is personal against Rae, not Universal's as a whole."

"How do you know that?" Tyler asked.

"There are far easier targets than Rae." Caleb replied, "Universal Beings aren't common, but they aren't hard to find if you know what to look for. Besides, who would attack a Universal under the protection of one of the largest Covenants in the United States? If they know about Rae, then they know about us. Maybe it wasn't just her that they planned on attacking."

"Please tell me you aren't thinking about Chase." Pogue said.

Caleb shrugged, "It wouldn't be out of his MO. Hurting someone we care about to get to us."

"From across the country?" Reid replied, "We didn't even know about this until now anyway..."

"Besides, Caleb, Chase didn't get the Power fully until July. This has been happening for longer than that." Pogue logically pointed out.

Caleb opened his mouth to speak but they were cut off by a scream. The whole of the group, Lorelei somehow in front, raced to the origin of the scream. They entered the kitchen and there was Raven huddled in a mass on the floor, a broken glass by her knees, crying.

"Raven?" Lorelei asked, walking over and taking her friend in her arms, "What happened?"

"Someone sent me a Darkling in the form of my mom..." Raven shuttered out before breaking out into tears again.

C-C-C

With one day left before school started, Raven sat outside of Provost Higgins office while Evelyn, Glenn, and Rosalind spoke with him. She knew that all three of them were in there for a reason, but she didn't really have the energy or inclination to care. Not having slept well since her confrontation with the Darkling, Raven just wanted to get all of her school stuff situated. The boys were currently at swim practice (naturally) and Lorelei was staring at the ceiling not being a good conversationalist at the moment.

In all actuality what Raven wanted was to be alone. That, or have someone to talk to who didn't know what was going on with her and therefore didn't talk to her like they were never going to see her again, "Lorelei?" Raven asked in a hushed voice. Lorelei continued looking at the ceiling, "Lorelei!"

"Huh?" Lorelei asked, looking over to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh... Nothing, really. I was just looking at the dirt on the ceiling." She said in an amused voice, "It makes a very interesting pattern."

Nodding slightly, Raven replied, "Oh."

Lorelei nodded and looked back up but almost immediately her gaze was brought back down. Evelyn exited the Provost's office, followed quickly by Glenn and Rosalind, and finally by Provost Higgins. Raven and Lorelei stood, "Ladies."

"Provost Higgins." Raven replied. Lorelei merely smiled and nodded. Raven could tell that she was trying to get a sense of him. He had rushed the adults in his office at the beginning of the meeting, so she hadn't gotten a chance to do so before hand. Lorelei was very much confused as to why she and Raven were not in the meeting as well, but she was willing to let is pass.

"It is wonderful to have you back, Ms. de Mon. And for you to bring such a lovely young lady with you." Provost Higgins said with a kind of a genuine-yet-false sincerity that belonged with a Hallmark card and a box of chocolates shaped like a heart.

"Thank you, Provost Higgins. It's wonderful to be welcomed back."

"Yes, and I do hope that your grandmother will follow your example and return to our fine town." Raven kept a smile on her face, but she didn't like where this was going, "Please tell her that if she has any questions about your success here, she shouldn't hesitate to call me."

"Call _you_?" Raven asked in a tone that invoked the sweetness of fifty large Pixy Stix, "Provost Higgins, is it protocol for the family of students to directly call you?"

Internally smiling when she saw him falter slightly, Raven gave herself a pat on the back. It had never been lost on Jane and, in turn, Raven that Harold Higgins had always carried a torch of sorts for her. Raven did not approve.

Under the glare of three of the heads of two of the most revered families in town, Higgins cleared his throat and said, "Erm, yes... I suppose you have a point... Well, Ms. McCormac at the desk will be able to give you your course schedule, maps, et cetera." Raven smiled even broader to herself. He clearly wanted to get out of the situation that he was in; his uses of 'et cetera' told her all that she needed to know.

"Thank you, sir." Raven replied as he turned and went back in his office.

Lorelei stared at the door for a moment as if trying to look through it (to Raven's knowledge, x-ray vision was not in her arsenal of powers), "Um... Raven... Correct me if I'm wrong, but did he just ask you to hit on your grandmother for him?"

"Essentially." Raven said, deadpanned.

"Okay... Ew."

Glenn breathed heavily, as if he were trying to control himself. This didn't surprise Raven. As the mother of his best friend, Jane had always been someone that Glenn thought of as a friend as well. Higgins blatant infatuation with her set about as well with him as it did with Raven, who had any trip that her grandmother would back to Ipswich (and Raven would make sure that it happened) planned out. Raven would greet her, they would go out to dinner together, and Raven would find a way to get her grandparents in the same room together before promptly excusing herself and leaving them alone. While alone, they would talk about the past, make up, and be happily in love again. Higgins did _not_ fit into that equation.

"Lorelei, would you mind taking Mrs. Danvers back home?" Raven asked, "I really just need time alone."

"Are you sure that that is a good idea, dear?" Rosalind asked.

"Probably not but I really need to get away from everything. Look, I'll just get my schedule and find my classes and take that time to be alone. I'll be back by dinner." Glenn, Rosalind, Evelyn, and Lorelei silently agreed.

After getting their packets from Ms. McCormac at the desk, Raven gave Lorelei one last reassuring look and headed off down the hall in the opposite direction. After turning the corner, Raven opened the packet and pulled out her class schedule. She didn't need a map, the part about finding her classes had been complete bullshit -she'd traveled around the Spencer campus with the boys plenty of times during her visits and knew exactly where everything was. All she wanted was to get away.

Sighing to herself, Raven sat on the cold floor and looked over her schedule. Seven classes, five days a week. U.S. History (this she knew she had with the boys), Calculus (damn... She thought she would have gotten out of that), English, Physical Education, Advanced Biology, AP Spanish (living in California for most of her life made this the easy option that she gladly took. Well, that and she'd been taking Spanish since the fifth grade), and Choir (this was a class that she knew that she would have only with Caleb).

Standing, Raven continued looking at the schedule. She knew where all of the classrooms were and she also knew that she had at least an hour to kill before anyone suspected anything. Mindless wandering around never hurt anyone, she supposed. It sounded like a good thing to do at the moment.

Stalking down the hallways, Raven was slightly surprised to see how many people were actually there. Granted, it was the last day of break so people were moving back in to the dorms (at least, those who had actually gone home were), practices were resuming, and it was possible that some people were rushing to the library to finish some over break homework that they hadn't finished; it was still surprising.

Raven knew that no one was noticing her and she liked that. She soon found herself near the gym with what looked like the Dance Team filing out. Smiling, Raven leaned against the wall and waited for the whole team to exit. One of the last four or five to do so was a thin, athletic, girl with dark skin, hair, and eyes. She was shortish, but not too much so for her age.

The girl, as if she felt someone looking at her, turned in Raven's direction. She smiled and excused herself from the group. She ran over to Raven and collided into her, pulling her into a deep hug, "I take this as you missed me." Raven said.

"Um... Yeah!" The girl replied, "You've been gone for too long."

Raven shrugged, "Well, that's not a problem. I moved back. Didn't Aggie tell you."

"No!" The girl replied, "She knew? Grr... That's what she was talking about."

"What do you mean?"

"She told me that a light was on the horizon and that I should look for it... I hate it when she gets philosophical and vague."

Sighing, Raven said, "She's old, that's what they do." The girl nodded, "So, Cordelia, how is freshman year treating you?"

"Can't complain." Cordelia replied, "And, please, the only people who actually call me Cordelia are Aggie and my teachers."

"Sorry, Cordy." Raven said with a smile, "Hey, you're taking Choir, right?" Cordy nodded, " I suppose I will see you there, then."

"Really? Sweet!"

"And I will have your belated birthday present for you in class on Monday." Cordy nodded again, "Okay, love, you had better get going. You're friends are going to wonder where you. I'll talk to you on Monday."

C-C-C

Reid was really getting irritated with Tyler. He wondered how long it would take the youngest son to realize that when they spoke about torturing Raven's hypothetical boyfriends, they hadn't meant they would do so if it turned out to be one of them! If anyone was going to take care of Raven and treat her right, who could be better than someone who loved her as much as they all did?

"Moron." Reid grumbled across the room to Tyler.

"Huh?" Tyler asked, turning to his friend.

"I didn't say anything." Reid replied, turning away and pulling on his shirt. He and Tyler were the last to leave from swim practice (mainly because Tyler was being slow, which was strange). They were going to meet Caleb, Pogue, Lorelei, and Raven at Nicky's with the possibility that Sarah was going to show up. Kate they didn't know about. Pogue had been happier lately but none of them were sure where he stood with Kate. In fact, they didn't know if anything had happened recently. Their information stopped at Kate breaking up with him...

In almost complete silence, he and Tyler finished getting ready, got to Tyler's Hummer (which Reid didn't insist on driving for once), and headed to Nicky's. Tyler was silence because he was clearly distracted. Reid was silent because he was thinking of a way to show his dumb ass friend that no one would object to him becoming Raven's boyfriend.

Completely missing the entire ride to Nicky's, Reid was shocked when they got there. Shocked, but with a plan in his head. Sure, he would probably confuse a hell of a lot of people, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He wasn't one to just come out and tell Tyler that he should date Rae, but maybe if Tyler saw Reid himself having some interest in her, it would push his ass into gear.

Entering Nicky's, the duo looked around and saw their four friends sitting at a table near the foosball tables (of course). They crossed over just as Raven and Lorelei were going off to get drinks. They greeted the girls as the passed and Reid took his chance. Sitting down with Pogue and Caleb, he leaned in and asked, "Hey, guys... Have you noticed that Rae has gotten really hot?"

Caleb and Pogue raised their eyebrows in confusion while Tyler (internally spazzing, Reid could tell) stood, "I have to go to the bathroom." He almost knocked over Lorelei in his haste to get away.

"What was that about?" Lorelei asked, putting down Pogue's and Caleb's drinks. Raven was waiting for hers and Lorelei's at the bar.

"He is so obvious." Reid lamented.

"Oh..." Caleb sighed, "I thought you... Yeah, he is."

"Are we talking about how baby boy is totally in love with Rae?" Pogue asked, "Yeah... He's so sad."

Lorelei looked around, "So you two had noticed as well?" They nodded, "Then why is he being so... I can't even think of a good description right now..."

"Moron, pussy, spineless idiot..." Reid offered.

"Those work." Lorelei replied after some thought.

Pogue nodded but asked, "What was that about, though?"

Sighing, Reid said, "Call it my misguided attempt to make him act normal..."

"Wow... How often is it that you're the one trying to make someone act normal?" Lorelei asked, a slight snarky tone lacing her voice. Pogue and Caleb laughed, Reid stuck out his tongue, "Mature."

"What do you know about maturity?" Reid asked.

"I'm two thousand years old..."

Raven came back and sat down between Reid and Lorelei, "Hey, where is Tyler?"

"Bathroom." Everyone replied.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Raven said, "Okay... Hey, look! It's Sarah and Kate." Tyler returned just as she spoke but everyone's eyes were on Sarah and Kate. Pogue stood and stopped Kate next to the bar. Kate motioned for Sarah to continue on, which she did. All eyes were on Pogue and Kate now as Kate leaned up and kissed him.

"Oh..." Sarah said, "Does this mean that they're back together again...?"

"I suppose so." Raven replied, a smile on her face.

The couple came over to table and sat down. Caleb took a sip and said, "We'll talk later."

"Looking forward too it." Pogue replied in a dry tone.

Kate looked over at Raven and smiled. Raven tipped her glass at Kate before taking a drink. Everything seemed to be coming together perfectly. Lorelei looked around at her new friends and wondered: why did she have a sneaking suspicion that their happiness wouldn't last very long?


	10. End of Week One

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

C-C-C

_A/N:_ Thanks to S K B C, xxkpxx, and gxaxbxbxy!

C-C-C

The first week of classes at Spencer had been exactly as Raven thought they would be. Essentially, it was easy to reintegrate herself back into the social scene... It helped that she had come back so much before moving back. Everyone knew who she was, what she looked like, and who she was bound to hang out with. Nothing was unexpected... At least, mostly. Some jealous people didn't like the attention she gave Cordelia Verity, who was supposedly just another freshman. Those were few and far between, however, and they were quickly silenced by others who knew how close Cordy's and Raven's families were.

Raven truly hoped that she would somehow be able to bring the Verity's and the Families back together. The fact that no one really knew what Francis Danvers had done didn't sit well with her and she didn't want to be torn between friends. The beginning of what she hoped would bring them back together was Cordy's birthday present, a cell phone that Raven (with permission from Aggie) gave her in Choir, a class that she had with Caleb as well.

In all honesty, Raven was particularly happy with the way her schedule worked out. U.S. History with all four of the boys and Lorelei (and, unfortunately, Kira and Aaron as well, but she made sure to sit away from them); Calculus with Lorelei, Tyler, and Caleb, English with Lorelei, the boys, and Sarah and Kate; P.E. with Lorelei, Sarah, and Kate; Advanced Biology with Pogue and Tyler; AP Spanish with Reid and Lorelei; and Choir with Caleb and Cordy. Though she didn't have all of her classes with Lorelei, Raven was glad that Lorelei had someone she knew in all of her classes, particularly when Raven had Choir. At that time, Lorelei had AP Studio Art with Reid (who was a fantastic artist despite what one might think when they first meet him).

But now that the first week back was over and the boys were off to practice, Raven and Lorelei relaxed in Kate and Sarah's room before heading out to Nicky's, "I knew you didn't have a cousin... You would have mentioned it before. Why did...?"

"Kate, we were in a public place. I couldn't exactly tell you everything... And please keep your voice down, these walls are really thin." Raven replied.

"Sorry." Kate said, "I just... This is a lot to take in in such a short amount of time."

"Trust me, I get that, but it's something that is going to be a lot easier to take in if you take the time to work through it and not bite off more than you can handle... You have a lot of questions that you have to ask and, honestly, sometimes it is way better to listen." Kate nodded and Raven continued, "Just relax. Everything will be fine."

Lorelei seemingly was staring into space, something that Raven could tell was unnerving to Kate and Sarah. Lorelei had a tendency to not blink when she stared into space. Unlike humans, Ancients only blinked because they wanted to, not because they needed to. Lorelei hadn't blinked in nearly five minutes.

"Lorelei?" Raven asked, "Lorelei?" Lorelei remained motionless, "Lorelei! Wake up!"

Snapping back to reality, Lorelei gazed at Raven, "What?"

"You were really spaced." Raven replied, "You weren't blinking."

Lorelei stared at her for a moment, "Sorry. I was concentrating."

"On?" Sarah asked.

"Reid." Lorelei stated simply.

"What?" Raven asked, quite perturbed. She, Sarah, and Kate shared confused glances.

Lorelei was confused at their confusion, "We have to do most of our major projects for AP Studio with a partner starting next week. I'm hoping that if I concentrate hard on Reid, he'll end up being my partner. I don't want to work with someone I don't know."

"You realize that the logic behind that is nil, right?" Raven asked. Lorelei nodded, "Just checking."

"So…" Sarah said after a moment's pause, "What exactly do you know about what happened before you came back?" Her voice lowered as she spoke. It was clear that Kate was uncomfortable for some reason; a reason that Raven couldn't exactly place.

"Everything. At least, everything according to Caleb." Raven replied, shuttering, "I cannot believe that the fucking _Putnam _line showed back up after so long. Ugh…" She shuttered again.

Hesitantly, Sarah said, "You seem to hate them more than the boys do." Raven raised her eyebrows, as if asking for Sarah's point, "I didn't even think that was possible. Why do you hate them so much?"

Raven was quiet. Lorelei, not knowing what else to do, spoke up, "It's a personal story." She had been told the story after Raven called the Danvers' during the weekly dinner. Sarah clamed up immediately. That hadn't been Lorelei's intention but she would take it.

"It's okay Lorelei." Raven said, "John Putnam was never exactly fond of my ancestor,"

"Faith Lang," Kate interrupted, "Sorry… When I moved here my freshman year, I did a lot of research." Raven raised eyebrows again, "You know I'm a history buff."

Sighing, Raven continued, "Anyway, John avoided Faith as if his life depended on it. He never spoke to her, never made contact with her unless he had to. Then, after she gave birth to her daughter, he changed. Paid too much attention to her, to be honest."

C-C-C

**1692 -Ipswich Colony, Massachusetts**

It had been easy to fool the citizens of Ipswich; they quickly believed the lies that the founding families told them about Faith. She was Grace Parry's cousin (there was a slight resemblance between them that allowed the lie to be legitimized, though Grace was brunette and Faith had red hair) who had been widowed soon after her marriage and, as such, had come to live with them for help in caring for her and her late husband's then unborn child. No one questioned the story.

Charlotte, Grace, Abby, and Anne had insisted on being with Faith when she gave birth. Isobel had assisted in the birth as the midwife –a woman in the city named Susannah Jones- had been unable to be there due to a late season snowstorm. Faith had thought that all the better. There was something off about Susannah Jones (though Faith could easily attribute that to paranoia; she'd been plenty paranoid since her husband's death) and she trusted Isobel wholly and completely.

It was because of Isobel that Faith had finally gained some semblance of control over her gifts and the reason that her daughter would be raised knowing what she was. About a week after coming to Ipswich, Faith accidentally shot a bolt of electricity out of her hand (it had almost hit John, thus adding to his dislike of the girl) in front of the Families, as well as Isobel and Jerome. Isobel became extremely excited and asked if Faith was a Universal Being. Faith was shocked to hear the name come out of the mouth of anyone other than her mother. She had always felt so alone in regards to her powers.

"_You know what Universal Beings are?" _She had asked, shocked.

"_Yes, Miss." _Isobel had replied. Then, very tentatively, as if worried that what she revealed next would anger Grace, _"I… I am one."_

Faith had begged Isobel to teach her what her own mother could not. She had begged Grace to allow Isobel to teach her and to not be angry with Isobel, who insisted that she only used her gifts when absolutely necessary and never against people. Grace, as well as the other wives, was more than thrilled that Faith would finally learn to control what scared her so much (particularly with a baby on the way) and they insisted to Isobel that there was nothing to be scared of and that no one was angry.

It had only occurred to her after her daughter was born, but Faith wouldn't have been surprised if Isobel had had something to do with that snowstorm. She knew exactly how Faith felt about Susannah Jones and, as Faith learned, was quite good at controlling weather. That was something else that Faith hadn't known before. Every Universal Being had one aspect of their gift that called to them, so to speak, and became their strongest attribute. Isobel's was weather control. Hers, she would eventually learn, was her ability to control fire. Isobel said that there was no discernable reason for why certain attributes chose certain Beings. Faith had an idea about why controlling fire chose her. It could only be the universe apologizing to her, giving her control of the element used to kill her husband and his family.

But that was the farthest thing from Faith's mind at the moment. She had just finished feeding her daughter, Eliza, who was quickly falling asleep. Eliza was such a beautiful and peaceful baby. Faith hoped that her calling would be something calm.

Humming gently, Faith walked over to the handmade crib that Lucas, Edwin, Oliver, and Paul had all helped make for her. She lowered Eliza slowly, making sure not to wake her angel. She made her way back to the chair next to the window in her room, picking up her knitting as she did so. Making herself comfortable, Faith continued on the knitting she had left behind to feed her daughter. She was knitting small baby booties, booties which would be far too small for Eliza. They were for Paul and Abby, who were the first of her new family to be expecting. Faith had a sneaking suspicion that Edwin and Anne were going to announce their own good news soon, so she was already planning on making more booties.

A light knock came on the door, causing Faith to look up, "Come on." She said quietly, placing her knitting in the small drawer next to her bed. John entered; he was the last person Faith expected to see, "John? What are you doing here?" She hadn't known what else to say. John had been extremely strange and she didn't know much about him. At first, he had wanted nothing to do with her. Then, he wouldn't stop staring at her. He never spoke to her, just stared.

"That isn't a pleasant greeting." John replied.

"I'm sorry," Faith replied, "I… What can I do for you?" She asked as she walked towards him.

He chuckled as he walked towards her. He opened his mouth as if to speak and then closed it. In a flash, he slapped her as hard as he could across the face with the back of his hand. Faith was so shocked that she could only let out a squeak of a scream as she feel down on her bed, the taste of blood in her mouth. It quickly healed, but John was turning her over and straddling her waist.

"John?" She asked, trying and failing to keep the terror out of her voice, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I thought that that would be obvious." He said, tauntingly, "Now, shh! We wouldn't want to wake the baby." Faith whimpered a little, trying desperately to use her powers. She was shocked to find that, like that fateful night just months before, her powers weren't working, "Oh, what's wrong? You're powers aren't working?" He reached down the collar of his shirt and pulled out a chain with an amulet attached to it. Faith gasped, recognizing the amulet as a Baines amulet.

"How… Why…" He silenced her by grabbing her throat.

"Helpful, these." He said, "I had never heard of them before you mentioned them. You remember?" Faith nodded minutely, tears swelling in her eyes, "I had to know what they could do." The memories of the night her husband died rushed back into her memory. She knew that John wasn't going to let her go as easily as the witch hunters had dispatched her then family. He was also done talking. His eyes exuded evil as he pulled up her dress, ripping it as he did so. He tugged furiously at the fabric and Faith fought against him, trying ferociously to push him off of her. He beat her in the face, but she didn't give up. When she could no longer stand it, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. He smashed his fists into her face even faster, but she fought through the pain.

The fighting and screaming had awoken Eliza, who was crying in her crib. Her cries were so loud and clear, as if she too were trying to gain attention to help her mother. John almost had his pants off and Faith began fighting even harder, biting at the hands that were trying to smother her. Through the pain and the terror, she saw the door open behind John. Isobel entered, shocked. She grabbed the cast iron bed warmer from the fireplace and hit him on the back as hard as she could. He fell off of Faith, who clambered over the bed to Eliza.

"Get out!" Isobel shouted, brandishing the bed warmer at John.

"I will tell them what you did to me." John threatened in a low voice, "You will be whipped if you're lucky. If not…" He trailed off, looking to Faith, "Do you think that they will believe you over me? I have known these men my entire life. You have known them mere months."

Then, just as he was moving towards Isobel, the door opened again. Edwin, Lucas, Paul, and Oliver entered with a frazzled Grace and the jailer, Mr. Dewhurst. They stared in shock at the scene before them. A slave woman wielding a weapon at one of the most prominent men in the city, whose pants were around his ankles and whose face, neck, and hands were covered in bite marks and scratches.

"He was gonna do evil things to her!" Isobel cried, dropping the bed warmer and shielding Faith from John, "I had to stop him!" The group collectively looked to Faith, whose own face was bloodied and whose neck was bruised. Her dress was ripped and she was shaking.

"You monster!" Grace cried, racing past him to Faith, who was trying to calm her wailing daughter.

"John Putnam." Dewhurst said, "I have a warrant for your arrest," John growled, "for witchcraft." The men stiffened, showing that Dewhurst hadn't told them why he was looking for their friend.

"Ridiculous." Putnam shot back venomously.

"He has an amulet!" Faith cried, "Around his neck."

Oliver walked deathly slow towards John, reached down his shirt collar, and pulled out the Baines amulet, "Dewhurst,"

"Sir?"

"Get this barbarian _OUT _of my house!"

C-C-C

**Present Day- Ipswich, Massachusetts**

There was very little that Reid Garwin had to complain about. Sure, his ascension was just under a month away and it scared the hell out of him, but he was perfectly content with the way that his life was going at the moment. With Raven back, he regained a partner in crime. He'd always had Tyler, of course, but Tyler was more of the conscience that he didn't listen to. Raven had always been willing to go along with his schemes, sometimes even beating his with one of her own.

That, however, wasn't the only thing.

"So," Antoinette said, pulling one of the mini deserts off of the platter that the waiter had placed in front of her, "What is this?"

Reid smiled. He had finally asked her out after seeing her in town and she had agreed, albeit hesitantly. However, she seemed to be having a good time, "That is an egg tart. Very popular in Asian cooking. The Portuguese have a variation, but this is closer to the Hong Kong variety."

With a half-smile, Antoinette took a bite of the tart. The look on her face told Reid that she enjoyed it immensely. After finishing the tart, Antoinette looked at him for a moment, "I think I get it."

"Get what?" Reid asked.

"Why you like taking out public school girls."

"I already told you." Reid said, "The first night we met. I said that public school girls were less drama than private school girls."

Shaking her head, Antoinette replied, "I know that's what you said. But that isn't the real reason, I'm sure. I think it's because you like to impress. Private school girls, for the most part, are harder to impress because they've seen more. Most public school girls don't get the same chances. Granted, I'm speaking generally, but you get the point."

"I can't just like girls who have less money than me because they seem nice?"

"Of course you can, but you seem to be having too much fun with spouting out random knowledge." Antoinette replied, "I can't help but think…" She was cut off by her phone vibrating in her purse, "Oh… Sorry, it's probably my brother. He'll freak if I don't get back to him."

"It's alright." Reid replied.

"Thanks." Antoinette said, pulling her phone out of her purse and reading the text, "Rocco… You moron." She muttered as she texted back. Putting the phone away, she looked back up at Reid, "Sorry, he's a little overprotective sometimes."

"It's alright." Reid said, "Was he the bodybuilder looking guy that I saw you with last week at the Clam Box?"

"That's Rocco." Antoinette sighed, "He's annoying as hell, but he's my brother and I love him. Besides, he's the only one I've got and…" She stopped short, realizing what she had just said. She immediately looked uncomfortable.

Reid stammered for a moment before saying, "You don't have to tell me."

"Thanks." Antoinette replied, "But it's okay, it's been a while. My parents died in a plane crash about six years ago. Rocco's been taking care of me ever since." Reid was silent but Antoinette could tell that he wanted to ask, "They were flying back from a trip to the Jamaica. We were living in North Dakota at the time, so they had a layover in Atlanta. According to official reports, the plane in Atlanta had some small hiccup or another but no one thought anything about it. Then the plane crashed, killing everyone on board. Then they thought about."

"I am so sorry." Reid replied.

"You didn't kill them," Antoinette said, "But thanks anyway." Reid smiled politely, not sure what else to do. He had only known one other person whose parents had died in such a way: Rae. Antoinette gave him a thankful smile back before leaning over the table and kissing him lightly on the lips. Reid smiled as she pulled back. A moment of silence fell over them, though not an awkward one. After that moment, Antoinette picked up another small desert and asked, "Okay, what is this one?"


	11. Why? Just Because

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

C-C-C

_A/N:_ Thanks to scruffybunny!

C-C-C

Lorelei entered the classroom for AP Studio Art with butterflies flapping around in her stomach. At least, she thought it was butterflies. She couldn't exactly remember the saying, to be completely honest. They were picking partners for the majority of their major projects for the rest of the school year and she really wanted to be partners with Reid. She knew that she would be fine with whoever she got -or rather she hoped she would- but she still wanted to work with Reid, to get to know him better.

Reid, of course, was already in class. Lorelei half wondered if he could teleport and just didn't tell anyone about it. He was always the first person in this class despite the distance from their AP Spanish class (usually she detoured to Choir with Raven, which is why he was there before her). He smiled at her as she sat in the desk across from him. The desks were arranged in clusters, four per cluster, but before Lorelei came, Reid sat at his own cluster. When she walked into class on her first day, Reid had immediately indicated the seat opposite his and she had complied. It wasn't lost on her (or him, for that matter) the looks she was given by the other girls in the class, but those were shrugged off. Those people could think what they wanted. Lorelei was Raven's friend and therefore Reid's friend. He was going to do whatever he could to make her more comfortable, particularly since she had very little clue about how ostracizing people could be. It only slightly occurred to him that he probably wasn't helping all that much when he came to the female population.

There weren't many students in AP Studio Art, so most of the desk clusters only had two or three people in them. Reid, however, preferred to work alone and everyone knew that about him (which was why, on that first day, most people –including the teacher- were shocked to see someone sitting with him). He was intense about his work, more so than with anything else he did. Ever. At all. Something about his art meant more to him than anything. He would never admit it to anyone but it was the truth. Only members of the Covenant knew about his studio in the basement of his parent's house. Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue often called it his "man cave" because he had never brought a girlfriend there. Truthfully, they themselves had only been in his studio once or twice.

In fact, all four of them had their own special places where their brothers had rarely ever been and even when they were there, they never poked around. Tyler, for instance, had an entire small library (in comparison to, say, the Boston Public Library) hidden behind a bookcase in his room. Really! It had once been part of the Underground Railroad, but after the Civil War it was no longer needed for that purpose. It had mostly been storage over the years until Tyler turned thirteen and asked for bookshelves to be put in so that he could put books there. Now it was nearly full, though Tyler still tried to squeeze in book after book. What kind of books? Reid had absolutely no clue. Most had blank spines, he'd never picked any up, and –honestly- he'd only been in there once or twice since Tyler started collecting.

"What are you thinking about?" Lorelei asked cautiously after watching Reid stare into space for nearly two minutes.

"Huh?" Reid asked, "Oh… Nothing. It was nothing."

"Oh… Kay." Lorelei replied, turning back to the picture she was drawing in her sketch pad. Reid looked at it, impressed. He was in awe of how good she was without trying. She was sketching an entire countryside (in the bottom corner, in tiny, perfect cursive, it said "_Val d'Orcia, Tuscany, Italy"). _Reid, who considered himself only passible at countrysides and landscapes, gazed at it. Lorelei noticed, "What?" She asked.

"When were you in Italy?"

Lowering her voice and leaning over, Lorelei replied, "Um… About a thousand years ago, I think. I lose track of time sometimes. Give or take a hundred years?" She added innocently.

"And you still remember what it looks like enough to draw it?" He asked. She nodded, "That is amazing. The picture too."

Smiling, Lorelei replied, "Thanks." She quickly returned to her picture as Reid gave her a smirk. He was far better at portraits, figures, and buildings than landscapes in his opinion (which made his future goal of being an architect much more attainable) and he could appreciate when someone was good at landscapes. Particularly when he noticed just how much detail she was putting into it.

"Wow…" He mumbled.

"What?" Lorelei asked in a whisper, looking up again, "This little thing? No way." Reid tried to protest, but Lorelei stopped him, "Reid, when you've seen the sheer concentration and artistic passion of the Renaissance geniuses who created the Sistine Chapel _as they created _the Sistine Chapel, you just feel inadequate. I'm just trying to invoke the feelings that I don't think I'll ever really be able to understand given that I'm not… you know." Reid knew. He could tell from the beginning that Lorelei felt that she wouldn't be able to understand human emotions given that she wasn't human. He also knew that she would give anything to be human, just to know what it was like.

"Quiet down, my artistic geniuses," A light, lilting voice that was shockingly full of authority rang through the room and all of the students immediately ceased any and all conversation. Cheryl Whitley, more commonly referred to as Dr. Whitely (she had a PhD in Art History and an MFA in Studio Art), entered the room with an air of insanity mixed with superiority. She was absolutely every cliché about artists mixed into one. She knew everything about art –from the different mediums and sub-mediums, to artistic periods and their characteristics, to artists, and so on- and she often seemed as if she had been stuck inside a freshly painted room with no ventilation. She was the smartest person that Reid had ever come across and he had decided when he was a sophomore that, were she not his teacher, he would have no problem "going there" so to speak. The fact that she was around fifteen years older than him did absolutely nothing to deter that line of thinking. However, she was, in fact, his teacher and –to his knowledge- in a relationship that was still going strong after ten years. In fact, if Reid remembered correctly, he'd met Dr. Whitley's boyfriend once or twice…

"_E 'magnifico_!" Dr. Whitley's voice broke through again. It was only then that Reid and Lorelei noticed that Dr. Whitley was standing over Lorelei's shoulder, looking at her sketch of _Val d'Orcia_. Lorelei raised her eyebrow at Dr. Whitley before looking at Reid, clearly asking if he had known that the elder woman spoke Italian, "Miss Zilberschlag! What lovely work. When did you visit Tuscany?"

"Two summers ago." Lorelei said with resolve. Reid had to stop himself from showing his shock at the smoothness of her lie, "I'm just doing this from memory."

"You must have a wonderful memory." Dr. Whitley mused momentarily. She gave Lorelei an approving smile and walked to the front of the classroom. The class watched as she pulled a top hat out of her desk (Reid was sure that she would never cease to amaze him), "Alright, as I mentioned last week, we are picking partners for the remainder of the school year. Now, not all of your projects will be with your partners, but most of them will be. I'm doing this because I want you to have the chance to get to know your partners and their particular artistic style. I want you to learn from them." The class nodded, "Now, I have placed all your names into this hat. I will call you up one by one –I will draw the name of the person who will pick- and you will pick from the hat. Hand me the slip you pick and I will read it off." She reached in and pulled a little slip of paper out of the hat. She unfolded the slip, "Ah! Miss Zilberschlag."

Lorelei nodded slightly, stood, and walked over. She was very curious indeed about pulling names out of a hat. It seemed so simple and perfectly unbiased, which was something that she had noticed meant a lot to humans. Reaching in, Lorelei grabbed a piece a paper and hoped. Extracting the slip, she hoped even harder. Handing the slip to Dr. Whitley, she hoped so hard that she thought her eyes would pop out. Dr. Whitley unfolded the slip and said, "Mr. Garwin."

C-C-C

As swim practice came to a close, Reid remembered back to art class. Lorelei had smiled sweetly when his name had been read off and she completely ignored the bitter glares of some of their classmates. Reid had been happy too. What he hadn't expected was the aftermath.

Lorelei stopped him after class and pulled him aside, "_Looks like we're going to be partners."_ Reid had nodded, "_I just have to ask you one thing."_

"_What?"_

"_Did you use to make sure that we were partners?"_ Lorelei asked in all seriousness. Reid returned her stern look with one of shock, _"I know how much you like to work alone and I also know that anyone else in the class wouldn't have given you your space. Don't give me that look and answer the question."_

Reid had groaned at her before finally admitting, _"It was only a little bit._" Lorelei proceeded to slap him in the arm, "_Ow! What was that for?"_

"_Reid, Raven told me about what happens if you use too much."_

"_That's only after I turn eighteen!"_ Reid replied, nursing his now sore arm.

Lorelei had not been deterred, "_But you shouldn't get into the habit of using for frivolous things. After you turn eighteen, everything will change. It could kill you, using too much."_

Reid had promised to be more careful and they made plans to work on their first project the next Saturday in his studio. Why his studio, Reid had no idea. He had offered the space before he could stop himself. It was probably better though. If they used any of the rooms on campus other than dorms, they would have to register with security. Besides, it was Lorelei! Lorelei was like Raven, but not. It made sense.

After that, Reid had raced off to practice, which in and of itself had been pretty uneventful. He was looking forward to after practice too much to really notice what was going on. At eight that evening, all eight of them (himself, his brothers, Sarah, Kate, Rae, and Lorelei) were going to meet up at Nicky's and he was far more excited for a night out than usual.

"What the hell are you grinning at?" Pogue asked, ripping Reid away from his day dream. They had finished changing and were getting ready to head out (Reid and Tyler to their room and Caleb and Pogue were going to Danvers Manor) and all three of his friends had noticed his strange behavior.

"Nothing." Reid replied, "Today was a good day, that's all." They clearly didn't know whether to believe him or not. Reid rolled his eyes and sighed, not bothering to say anything. They exited the locker rooms and headed towards the dorms, where Caleb was going to pick up his car. In front of the dorms, they ran into Sarah, Kate, and Raven, "Ladies." Reid said with a smirk.

"Reid." Raven replied, "I hear you and Lorelei are partners in art class."

"That would be correct." Reid replied, "Hey where is she, by the way?"

Raven didn't answer. She merely looked him over for a minute and he hoped that Lorelei hadn't mention that he'd used to make sure that the situation would work out the way he wanted it to. In fact, Lorelei should be happy. He knew she wanted to work with him. She would have way too much to hide from someone else. Raven opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly overcome by a ripping pain in her gut. Groaning in pain, Raven sank to the ground as her friends rushed to her to make sure that she wouldn't hurt herself.

"Rae!" Tyler exclaimed in thinly veiled hysterics, "Are you okay?"

After a moment, the pain ceased, but Raven had to give herself time to recover from it. She had never –literally NEVER- felt anything like that before and she most certainly did not want to again. She looked around at her worried friends and said, "I'm okay… I think." Pogue and Caleb helped her to her feet.

"Raven, what was that?" Kate asked.

"I have no idea." Raven replied, worry lacing her voice. Sarah, not knowing what else to do, brushed Raven's hair out of her face. Just as she was going to thank Sarah, Raven saw a small figuring moving towards them slowly, as if in pain, "Cordy…" Raven muttered, "Damn." If Cordy had felt it, then something was most definitely wrong. If Aggie or Jane had felt it, then it was time to panic.

Cordy walked over to the group and hesitantly said, "How's it going?" Raven shrugged, "I take it you felt that as well."

"Yup…" Raven replied, her worries confirmed. Kate and Sarah were clearly confused but the boys were deeply concerned. They knew what Cordy was, of course, and they knew that when a Universal Being felt pain like what they assumed Raven had felt, then something was wrong.

"What do you think the likelihood is that Aggie and Jane felt it, as well?" Cordy asked.

"High." Raven replied running her hand through her hair.

"Well damn." Cordy sighed, "That really hurt." She added, leaning down a little. Caleb offered her his arm as support just in case. She looked at him for a moment and said, "I have no idea why I'm supposed to not like you… Any of you for that matter."

The boys looked amongst themselves, "Neither do we." Caleb replied.

"Well that's dumb." Cordy said, straightening up, "Oh, and Lorelei was looking for you, Rae. And… um…"

She looked worried and slightly guilty. Raven narrowed her eyes –as an older sister would do to a younger sister who was confessing to borrowing clothes without asking- and said, "Go on."

"Does… Lorelei… have an…" She thought for a moment, looking for the right word, "adverse reaction to caffeine?"

"Oh dear." Raven groaned, "Why?"

"I may or may not have… given Lorelei some of my Coke." Raven groaned and Cordy grimaced, "Sorry."

"Where is she?" Raven asked.

"Um…" Cordy said, "Oh! Right over there!" She pointed behind them and, sure enough, Lorelei was coming towards them from the directions of the athletic fields. Everyone quickly noticed that something was different. Lorelei was literally bouncing towards them, a huge grin on her face.

Seeing the group, she raced over and gave Raven a big bear hug. Raven groaned as gasped in Lorelei's grasp, "Raven, I was looking for you!" She said in one breath. She squeezed harder.

"Lorelei!" Raven groaned, "If you squeeze me any harder, you're going to break me…"

"Oh… Sorry." Hyperactive Lorelei replied. She was bouncing in placed, her head whipping around to look at everyone in the group with a huge smile. Her eyes reached Reid and her smile got even wider. She also began clapping.

"Lorelei… Honey… What did I say about caffeine?" Raven asked as Cordy sunk back a little. Raven couldn't blame Cordy for this entirely; the poor girl didn't know how Lorelei would react. Raven herself learned the hard way after giving Lorelei a sip of Dr. Pepper about a month after Lorelei had assumed her human façade.

"But I didn't know that Coke was caffeinated…" Lorelei replied, still bouncing high.

"Why do you think I wouldn't let you have any?" Raven groaned.

Lorelei looked around for a moment before looking back to Raven and said, "It didn't occur to me." Raven chuckled slightly. Lorelei didn't know what else to do, so she looked back to Reid and said, "So, what time do you want me to come over to your parents place on Saturday?" She asked, again in a single breath.

Reid thought for a minute before replying, "Um… Around three, I guess. My parents will show you to the studio."

"Cool." Bouncy Lorelei said with a smile, completely missing the confused glances that Caleb, Pogue, and Tyler were giving Reid. Never did they expect him to give someone who wasn't them permission into his sanctuary.

Raven sighed, "Lorelei?" Lorelei looked at her, "I want you to go fly around." She said in a whisper, "Work off some energy. Still meet us at Nicky's at eight, but go calm down a bit."

"Okay!" Lorelei said, clearly elated at the idea. She loved flying.

"Invisible." Raven reminded. The last thing they needed was sightings of a giant, flying wolf. Lorelei nodded and bounced off. Raven shook her head, "I'm going back to Danvers Manor to drop off my car. Caleb, Pogue, I'll see you when you get back." Caleb nodded, "Need a ride home, Cordy?"

"That'd be great." Cordy replied. She smiled and followed Raven to the parking lot. Like Caleb, she didn't live in the dorms. Her great-grandmother was ninety six years old for crying out loud! She wasn't going to leave Aggie alone like that. Sure, Aggie was pretty spry for a woman of her age, but Cordy didn't want to risk it. After her mom and grandma died (within a year of each other), Aggie was the one who helped her through it. Now, she was repaying Aggie back. Besides, she hated the communal showers at Spencer.

As Raven and Cordy left, Sarah and Kate excused themselves. At this point, Tyler, Caleb, and Pogue took their chance to question Reid, "You're letting her into your studio?" Caleb asked, "No one goes in there."

"We've only been there a couple of times, man. Are you sure?" Tyler asked.

Reid rolled his eyes, "She's Lorelei, guys. It's the same as Rae visiting."

"Reid, your parents don't even go in there." Pogue piped up.

Rolling his eyes yet again, Reid replied, "We're working on an art project. It's an art studio. That's what it's there for." With that, he headed off towards his room, leaving behind his confused friends.

C-C-C

Once again, the group was spread out over Nicky's. Reid and Tyler were at the pool table, playing some random pairing, Caleb and Sarah were playing foosball, Kate and Pogue (who had refused Caleb's offer to play foosball, wanting to just sit with Kate instead) were chatting and eating, and Lorelei and Raven were dancing. Every so often, Tyler's eyes would rest on Raven for a few seconds and Reid would internally shake his head at his friend. If baby boy didn't get his act together soon, Raven would get bored with waiting. He knew that she cared about Tyler –a lot- but even Raven had her limits. Then he would have to deal with Tyler being mopey and stupid; even more so than he was being at that point. Reid, personally, didn't have to patience to deal with that.

Reid knocked the eight ball into one of the corner pockets, effectively ending the game and winning for himself and Tyler. The two boys they were playing against –peers of theirs from Spencer- groaned and pulled out fifty dollars each. Reid took the money from the nearest to him, while Tyler took from the other. This was one reason he liked playing people from Spencer. Most of them cared very little about money and were willing to bet a lot. Fifty was the least he'd gotten from a Spencer kid in nearly a year. He chuckled and pocketed the money.

Tyler and Reid gave back their pool cues and headed towards the table where Pogue and Kate were sitting, "Hey, baby boy, want something to eat?" Reid asked.

"Um… Sure." Tyler replied, "Cheeseburger, fries, Coke."

Reid nodded and headed over to the bar, "Nicky!" Nicky looked over and smiled. He'd clearly been watching the pool match, "Two cheeseburgers, two fries, a Coke, and a Dr. Pepper." Nicky nodded and began filling the order. Reid tapped his fingers on the bar and bobbed his head. Why? He had no idea. After a couple of minutes, he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked over. He smiled, "Hey Antoinette."

"Hi." She replied with a smile.

"I wasn't sure you were going to come." Reid admitted.

Antoinette shrugged and said, "I couldn't think of a reason not to, so here I am."

Reid smiled back as Nicky placed the food he had ordered in front of him, "Come on." He said, "I want to introduce you to my friends."

"Really?"

"Of course." Reid said with a slight chuckle, "Although, I have to ask you a favor." Antoinette nodded, "Would you mind carrying the drinks?" He indicted the drinks still on the bar, "I'm getting food for my friend Tyler as well and I can only carry so much."

With a slight smile, Antoinette replied, "No problem." She picked up the Coke and Dr. Pepper and followed Reid to the table where everyone was now sitting.

"Guys," He said, passing Tyler his food and placing his on the table, "I want you to meet Antoinette." The girls, Raven in particular, perked up as Antoinette came behind Reid with the two glasses in her hand, "Antoinette, this is Caleb, Sarah, Tyler, Pogue, Kate, Raven, and Lorelei."

She smiled at all of them somewhat shyly and turned back to him, "Which is yours?" She asked, holding out the drinks. Reid took one and took a sip from it. He nodded, took the other from Antoinette, and handed it to Tyler.

"What if that had been mine?" Tyler asked slightly annoyed. Reid shrugged causing Tyler to scoff.

Raven interjected, "So, Antoinette," She patted the seat next to her. Antoinette complied, "How and where did you meet Reid?"

Chuckling slightly, Antoinette replied, "Before I answer that, you've either been friends for years or are siblings. Which?"

"Friends for years," Raven said, "but close enough to be siblings."

Antoinette nodded, "Good to know. I also suppose that if I do anything to hurt him, I can expect an untimely and most likely excruciatingly painful death."

"Bingo, sister." Raven said with a smile.

Chuckling, Antoinette replied, "Fair, I suppose. And back to your question: here. We met here about two… three weeks ago." Raven nodded, doing the math. Right around the time that she arrived… Reid was moving fast; far faster than Raven had ever seen or heard of him doing before.

Grabbing a fry from Tyler's plate, Raven smiled (somewhat at Tyler's reaction to her taking some of his room and somewhat at Antoinette) and said, "So, Antoinette… Tell us a little about yourself."


	12. Here For You

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

C-C-C

Thanks to gxaxbxbxy, Cookie Crumbla, and Loverofgoodstories27. Sorry this has taken so long. I've been busy and my muse hasn't been too helpful lately.

C-C-C

**Ipswich, Massachusetts: Spencer Academy**

Ever since being hit with the intense pain that they couldn't explain, both Raven and Cordy had been somewhat out of sorts. It wasn't just them, either. Aggie was feeling the effects of whatever it was going on to a worrying degree. Cordy rarely left home for much more than classes and dance practice. She didn't like leaving Aggie alone, fearing that she would get hurt and not be able to heal herself or something of that nature. Grams had called Raven several times to make sure that she was alright and Raven could hear the pain and worry in her grandmother's voice. She was sure that Grams was feeling the effects as well.

As the days wore on, Raven felt herself losing focus. She would be in classes and completely zone out until someone pulled her attention back. Also, she was getting headaches that would randomly appear and disappear. Whatever was going on was beginning to interfere with her life and she did not approve.

For once in quite a long time, Raven was alone. The boys were at swim practice, Cordy was at dance practice, Kate and Sarah were spending the day with Sarah's parents and younger brother and sister, and Lorelei was nowhere to be found for some unknown reason. Raven was thankful for the peace and quiet. She really hoped it would help clear her head.

Having just spent the last half an hour in the Spencer Academy library, Raven really needed to get out and about, even if it was getting colder by the minute. Bundling up to the best of her ability, Raven left the library, aiming to go nowhere in particular.

Deciding she would go for a drive, she walked over to the day parking lot. There were only a few cars in the lot because it was only for students who didn't stay on campus and visitors to the school. She recognized Caleb's car and a few others, but she didn't recognize the huge GMC Sierra that was sitting two rows over from her car. There was someone sitting in the driver's seat, but she ignored them and went to her car.

She wasn't aware of when the driver of the truck exited it and began following her to her car. As she pulled her keys out of her purse, the man ran towards her and tapped her on the shoulder. Jumping, Raven dropped her purse and keys, "Jeez!" She gasped out as she turned. Gathering her bearings, Raven kneeled over and picked up her purse and keys, "Warn a girl next time." As she stood, she asked, "Can I help you?"

"Well," The man –approximately 6'4" tall, 190 pounds, mid-forties, with brown eyes and sandy brown hair- said, "You can start by getting your ass over here and giving me a hug."

Raven was shocked at this man's forwardness, "Um… Excuse me?" She asked, her eyes widened like saucers, "Who the hell are you?"

"Raven…" The man said, as if he had known her for years, "I'm your dad."

Raven stared in silence, trying to muster what she could possibly say, "Um… You're Joel?"

"Dad," He said, correctively, "But yes."

This, combined with the amount of crap she already had to deal with, made Raven's brain blow a fuse, "What?" She asked, trying to make her brain work properly, "You show up here after nearly nineteen years, expecting a hug and for me to call you 'dad'!" She didn't let him answer, "What the hell are you even doing here?"

"I came to see you." Joel replied, as if it were the simplest notion in the world.

"We've never even met." Raven said, aghast, "You walked out on mom when you found out she was pregnant. You made it perfectly clear that you wanted nothing to do with either of us then and now, all of the sudden, you want to play father/daughter? What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Raven," Joel said, "I understand that you're mother probably thinks…"

"Holy shit…" Raven mumbled, "You don't even know."

Joel furrowed his eyebrows, "Know what?"

Groaning in irritation, "You have got to be kidding me… Mom's dead, asshole." Joel looked shocked, "Yeah, catch up with the times. She died eleven years ago. You were nowhere to be found."

"Oh, Raven, I am so sorry…"

"Save it," Raven spat, "I want nothing to do with you because you certainly didn't want anything to do with me." She opened her car, entered it, and slammed the door as hard as she could, taking off as quickly as she possibly could. Tears welled in her eyes; how could he think that, after all of these years, she would actually want to talk to him? This was absolutely not what she needed on top of someone trying to kill her.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Raven saw that he was following her, "Oh, for fucks sake…" She groaned, going faster and turning into a back road. He continued to follow her as she sped forward. Soon, she found herself outside of the original farmhouse. She exited her car and stormed towards the door, but Joel caught up with her, "Get off of me!" She shot at him as he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I just want to talk…" He began, but he was cut off by the sound of shotgun.

"Gorman!" Raven called, not willing to call him 'Grandpa' around Joel (she knew that he didn't know the relationship between them and she didn't want to give it away), "It's just me!"

"Raven?" Gorman asked, "Who's that with you?"

Raven didn't have to answer, "Hi Gorman." Joel called.

"Joel!" Gorman practically screeched before letting off yet another shotgun blast.

"That means he wants you to leave." Raven spat, "And so do I." She turned on her heel and made her way into the house as quickly as she could. Two more shotgun blasts sounded before she heard the truck start and drive away. Once again, tears welled in her eyes and fell, landing on the floor. She had to lean against the wall so that she wouldn't crumple onto the floor.

Just then, Gorman made it fully down the stairs and saw her. Worry fell over his face and he made his way to his granddaughter and held her as tightly as he could, "Raven, what's wrong."

"There's so much happening," She said through sobs, "I can't… I… Why did he have to show up now?"

"I don't know, baby, but he's gone." Gorman said, leading her to the couch. He cursed his helplessness. All he could do was hold her and let her cry on him, but he wanted to be able to do more. It was more than Joel. Why that idiot came back, he didn't know, but he would certainly inform Wayne, Glenn, and Joseph. Joel was only exacerbating the problem. Raven had far too much on her plate and Gorman knew it was only getting worse, "It's okay, baby," Gorman said softly, "I'm here for you."

C-C-C

**Ipswich, Massachusetts: June 12, 1960**

Gorman sat staring into the fireplace of the first floor living room of the original farmhouse that belonged to all of the still surviving founding families of Ipswich. He drank whiskey out of the bottle and hoped that it would numb him soon. Just three months before, he'd been forced to watch the love of his life walk down the aisle and marry another man. Jack Carter was everything that Jane's father, Henry Marcus, wanted: rich, attractive, a shrewd businessman, and so far up Henry's backside that Gorman couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.

Jack and Jane (Gorman practically cringed at the alliteration) had just returned from their extended honeymoon that day, hence Gorman's need for strong alcohol. He wanted to blow his brains out every time he thought of how it should have been him. He loved Jane more than anything and he knew that she felt the same. He'd proposed and she'd said yes. They had been planning a future together. Henry, however, had far different plans. He didn't know what Henry had said to Jane to make her break off their engagement, but she did and two weeks later she was engaged to Jack; three weeks after that they were married.

Though Gorman hadn't had the chance to know Jane's mother, he knew she was the only thing that could have kept Henry from completely trying to control Jane's life. Ever since the elder woman's institutionalization, only two years after Jane's birth, Henry had tried everything to use Jane to better himself. He took another long swig of the alcohol. At this rate, he would drink himself to death, but it didn't seem like a bad plan at the moment.

The weather outside was matching his mood perfectly. It had been storming for the past three days. It was dark, wet, and gloomy and he was sure that he was going to have to wade through at least three inches of mud when he finally was able to leave.

As he took another swig of his drink, Gorman heard a frantic knock at the door. He didn't understand who in the hell would be out in this weather, much less coming to see him. He put the near-empty bottle on the coffee table and walked to the door. He opened it and stood shocked at what he saw. Jane, his Jane, was standing there, soaked to the bone with red, puffy eyes that showed she'd been crying.

"Janie…" He said, not sure what to say.

"Gorman…" She replied, "Can I come in?" She managed after a few minutes of awkward silence. He nodded and moved out of her way, "Thank you." She said as she entered. He closed the door behind her and headed back towards the living room. Jane followed, "Gorman, please…" She said.

He turned back to her, "Please what?" He asked, walking back to her, leaving only six inches of space between them.

She sniffed for a moment, worry on her face. She placed her hands on his biceps and asked, "Gorman, have you been drinking?"

Pulling away from her touch, Gorman replied, "Yeah, well… When the love of your life goes off and marries another man, you can't blame a guy for turning to the bottle."

"Gorman…" Jane said softly, moving slightly towards him. He pulled away, "Please, you have to know that I had no choice." Gorman made an unconvinced scoff, "I had to! My father told me that I didn't break off our engagement and marry Jack that he would have you fired, make it so that you wouldn't be able to find work on the East Coast again, even have you put in jail if he had to. You know that my father is a lunatic and for all my powers, there isn't anything that I can do about him. I didn't want to risk your safety."

"Right…" Gorman said bitterly, "You did this all for me. Not for your dad, not for your social status," he turned to her and grabbed her hand, "not for this… _thing_." He spat venomously at her 10 caret diamond engagement and wedding ring set.

"This?" Jane asked, horrified, holding up her hand, "You think that this _monstrosity _is what matters to me?" She pulled it off and threw it. It landed with a _thunk_ somewhere in the corner, "Please tell me that this is the alcohol talking. How can you think that I'm that shallow? I would rather wear this," She pulled a chain around her neck from beneath her blouse. Gorman saw the ring he had given her hanging on it, "than that ridiculous thing any day of the week."

Gorman was staring at the ring on the chain, "You still have it?" He asked breathlessly.

"Of course I do," Jane said, moving to him and placing her hands on his face, "I love you. I've loved you since the moment I met you. But I would rather not have you but know that you are within reach then to risk your safety or your livelihood. My father is insane; I don't know what he would have done to you if I hadn't married Jack."

"I can't stand to think about you with him," Gorman admitted, taking her hands from his face but holding tight to them.

"It's no picnic for me either," Jane said, her throat tight and her voice strained, "But what gets me through it is that I know that one day we will be together again. One day my father will be gone and I won't have to worry about what he could do to you." She gave a small sob and Gorman felt his heart breaking, "My marriage is a sham." She said, almost to herself, "It means nothing to me."

Those were the words that send Gorman over the edge. The moment his brain processed them, he dropped Jane's hands, pulled her to him so that their bodies were mashed together, and kissed her with everything that he could muster. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that this was the alcohol. She was married, for crying out loud! But he wanted her and the alcohol was giving him the strength to show that. When Jane responded positively, kissing him back with equal fervor and wrapping her arms tightly around him, Gorman knew that he couldn't stop. If she stopped, he would, but under no other circumstances.

Without even thinking about it, Gorman pushed her against the wall, never breaking the kiss. She tightened her grip, moaning softly as he trailed kisses from her lips, down her neck, and into the soft swell of her cleavage. Loosening her grip, Jane gently pushed Gorman away from her. _She's rejecting me_, he thought, unable to bear the notion.

Jane stepped away from the wall, seeing the pain in Gorman's eyes. She pulled the chain off of her neck and removed the ring from it. She placed the chain on the table next to the couch and held out the ring for Gorman to take. His heart shattered but he took it anyway. It took him a moment to realize that she was still holding out her hand. He gave her a confused look, but she looked from him to the ring to her hand and back to him.

Now he understood.

Taking her hand in his, he slipped the ring –a simple silver ring with a small diamond inlaid directly in the band that had once been his mother's- on to her delicate finger. A small, audible breath escaped her, causing Gorman to look away from the ring on her finger to her face. She had tears in her eyes yet again, but he could tell that they were tears of happiness. He leaned over and kissed her again, tenderly this time. She reciprocated, kissing him so that she cradled his bottom lip between hers.

Once again, Jane pulled away. This time, however, it was different. Gorman had no sense of dread, no sense of rejection. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She backed towards the doorway slightly, staring at him with her come-hither eyes. He was frozen in place -unable to follow- until she stopped at the doorway, lifted one finger, and motioned for him to follow her. She immediately raced out of the room and Gorman heard her heels clack on the stairs. His animal instincts kicked in and he raced after her, catching her at the very top of the stairs.

When he reached her, he turned her and kissed her again. These weren't kisses of loving tenderness; these were kisses of primal need. He'd thought he lost her, that he would never be with her again, and now that he had been proven wrong, he wanted to take full advantage of it. He didn't once think of her marriage, of her commitment to her husband. He thought of how this was the woman he loved -the woman he would die for- and that they deserved to be together.

Jane had no objections. She accepted his kisses readily, biting at his lips and pressing her body into his. She unbuttoned the buttons on his flannel shirt and slid it off of his shoulders, dropping it on the stairs. He groaned contentedly as she gently raked her perfect nails over his back. Deciding that he couldn't take much more inaction, Gorman reached down and lifted Jane into his arms and carried her to his bedroom. She didn't leave his arms until they were inside and the door was closed behind them.

Resting Jane on the bed, Gorman leaned down and kissed her neck again as he unbuttoned her blouse. He was in awe as the fabric fell away from her taut torso and perfect breasts. She was a goddess that he had been blessed with and he would be there for her no matter what. He would wait for the day when they could be together, "I love you," He whispered.

C-C-C

**Ipswich, Massachusetts: Danvers Manor**

"So… He just showed up?" Lorelei asked, confused, "No warning or anything?"

"Nope," Raven said bitterly as she paced back and forth across her room, "No warning, no phone calls, no letters… And then, he thinks is a good idea to just waltz right up to me in the fucking parking lot and demand a hug. Who the hell does that?" Lorelei didn't really know what to do in this situation. Raven was clearly freaking out, but Lorelei didn't know how she could help. She had heard enough about Raven's father to know that he wasn't a good guy, but she didn't know how to comfort Raven now that he'd shown up.

A knock came on the door and Raven stopped pacing, "Come in."

The door opened and all four of the boys came in, "Hey, Rae." Tyler said, "We thought you were going to meet us at Nicky's at seven."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the clock, "Aw shit…" She said. It was nearly eight. She pulled her backpack off of the floor and ruffled around in it until she found her phone. It was on silent and had thirty calls from the boys, "I'm sorry guys. I got distracted."

"With what?" Reid asked, sitting on her bed.

Raven looked to Lorelei, who nodded her head. Lorelei was sure that the boys would be able to comfort the boys more than she could, "Joel showed up today." All four boys gasped, "He acted like we've known each other for years… He told me to give him a hug."

"He did what?" Pogue asked, shocked. Raven nodded.

"What did you do?" Reid asked.

Raven chuckled bitterly, "I freaked out. What else could I do?" She sighed and ran her hands through her fiery hair, "Then, when I drove away, the crazy bastard followed me all the way to Gorman's."

"Did Gorman find out that he was there?" Caleb asked.

Raven nodded and chuckled, "Fired off a couple at him. Not that he should expect anything less. After what he did to mom…" Raven sighed and took a deep breath, "After everything that has happened, he decides to show up. I don't think that I can deal with this."

Reid sat down next to her and put an arm around her, "Hey, we're here for you Princess. We'll figure out who's trying to hurt you _and _we'll keep this jerk away from you if he shows up again."

Tyler mirrored Reid on Raven's other side, "We _are_ here for you, Rae. You don't have to go through this alone."

"They're right, Rae," Pogue said, "We've got your back. You know that."

"I know." Raven said, "Thanks guys." Tyler pulled her closer into a hug and Raven hugged back. She loved it when he didn't feel awkward being affectionate with her.

Caught up in her thoughts, Raven didn't notice the knowing looks in Caleb's, Pogue's, and Reid's eyes as she and Tyler hugged. All three of them had come to a decision. They would find out who was trying to kill Raven, stop them, and then lock Raven and Tyler in a closet and not let them out until they had either gotten together or died.

Tyler and Raven pulled apart and Raven said, "Guys, Lorelei, it isn't too late. If you want to go out and have some fun, go ahead. I'm not up for it to night."

"What, and miss out on a night in with our number one girls?" Pogue asked, "Hell no!"

"Guys, go out and have fun." Raven said, "You don't have to stick around because I'm mopey."

Reid shook his head, "False. We're staying, so deal with it."

"Well then what are we going to do?" Raven asked, "I don't want you to be bored because you want to stick around with me." Caleb smiled and left the room. Moments later he returned. He was holding two boxes of games. One was Taboo, the other was Cranium. Raven smiled, "Oh you are going down! Tyler and Lorelei are on my team!"


	13. Hitting The Fan

**Frightening Little Princess**

**Summary:** The Ipswich Covenant isn't the only power around. A powerful friend of the families returns to Ipswich at the request of her grandmother, who fears for her life. But returning to Ipswich makes things worse and puts them all at risk. Sometimes the only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice everything, including your life. TylerOC.

**Disclaimer:** Yeah… I own nothing. Damn.

C-C-C

_**A/N:**_ Thanks so much to Loverofgoodstories27! So, just so you all know, this is where the "M" rating kicks in, so if you're not into hardcore(ish) sexy times or could be triggered by reading S&M stuff, I advise you to skip the second half of this chapter. Also, this is my first time writing a sex scene that isn't a 'fade to black' kind of deal, so please be gentle with me. I always strive to be a better writer, but it certainly takes time. Thanks and I hope you all enjoy!

C-C-C

The impromptu game night had lifted Raven's spirits. So, naturally, it all came crashing down. Raven couldn't believe that she hadn't expected it. The universe seemed to have it in for her.

The day after her encounter with her father (because that man had _not _deserved the title "dad") none other than Kira decided that she hadn't had her fill of pissing Raven off. Raven had just been walking back to her car after class, desperately wanting to get away to think. Her spirits may have been lifted, but that didn't mean that she was fully comfortable with what happened. Kira had seen her leave and raced after her. "Hey de Mon!" Kira called. Raven felt her eye twitch. That damn wrong pronunciation never ceased to grate on her.

"The fuck do you want?" Raven asked, making it obvious her patience was thin.

"I was just wondering if you were planning on going to rehab when I talk to the Provost." Kira replied haughtily.

Raven raised her eyebrows, "Where the hell did that come from?"

Kira snickered, "Well, I saw you're cousin bouncing around like a crazy person on speed a few days ago and no one has seen her at all today. There's no reason for anyone to act like that unless they were on drugs and I can only assume that you're doing them together. I'm going to bring it to the attention of the administration."

Sighing, Raven ran a hand through her hair, "Holy fuck, you are stretching aren't you? You are just trying to piss me off." Kira tried to look innocent. It didn't work, "If you were really going to report either of us for drugs, you would have without telling me. What are you looking for? For me to beg you not to go to Provost Higgins?" Kira looked expectant, "Yeah… Not gonna happen. I have nothing to hide, Lorelei has nothing to hide. If they ask us to take drug tests, we'll do it, but when we pass, we will demand a public apology from the school, the board of directors, the Provost, and whoever provided the false information that forced us to take the test. We might even sue for defamation." The threat wasn't even _thinly _veiled. The look in Kira's eyes told Raven that she was terrified. Raven's family (and familial connections) could make things very difficult for Kira if they wanted to and both of them knew it.

"Are you threatening me?" Kira asked in an attempt to save face.

"I'm making you a promise." Raven replied, clearly serious, "How about you stay out of my _fucking _hair for the rest of the school year; leave the Sons, Kate, Sarah, and Lorelei alone; and then after we graduate drop completely out of my existence. Preferably into a black hole."

No one, not even Raven, had ever spoken to Kira like that before. She certainly didn't like it, "You can't talk to me like that!"

"Why not?" Raven asked, "What do you plan on doing about it?" Kira stared down her nose at Raven, who turned and began walking towards her car again. When she was about ten feet from her car, Raven felt herself jerk around, a feeling followed closely with that of an open palm colliding with her face.

Dots littered Raven's vision and all she could think was _What the hell?!_, though in the back of her mind she was very certain of what happened. Kira rounded on her, hand closed in a fist and aimed at Raven's face. As the fist came closer, Raven held up her arm and blocked it. Kira struggled, trying to pull her arm out of Raven's vice hold, "I've had eight years of self-defense training, you stupid twat!" Raven hissed, "I could snap your arm like a toothpick if I wanted to." Fear filled Kira's eyes until Raven loosened her grip. Kira relaxed and Raven pushed her to the ground, "Leave. Me. Alone."

With that, Raven turned away again. Kira, however, seemed to not have gotten the message. She quickly lifted herself off the ground, grabbed a fistful of Raven's hair, and pulled. Raven jerked back and landed on a black BMW. A crowd began to form as Raven attempted to defend herself and end the fight, but Kira seemed to have nothing on her mind but assaulting Raven, despite the fact that she was hilariously outmatched and only succeeded in getting herself injured (and Raven was being easy on her).

After several minutes, teachers and faculty had congregated to break up the crowd. Raven stepped back away from Kira and leaned against a car, "Ms. Snider! Ms. de Mon! To the Provost's office, now!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Raven groaned as she stood upright. She wanted to tell them that Kira went after her, but she knew that they wouldn't hear it. She would have to implore the Provost to check the security cameras on the parking lot. Sighing, Raven looked around to retrieve her backpack, which had ended up on the ground about two cars over during the commotion. She snatched it up and stalked towards the Provost's office, "I will crush you." She hissed lowly in Kira's direction.

It wasn't a long walk to the Provost's office and when she entered, Raven took a seat clear across the outer office from the direction Kira stalked when the latter followed her in and sat. Kira was clearly still fuming, but she seemed to have some understanding that acting on her impulses would be ill-advised.

Raven sat around for what felt like forever as Provost Higgins' secretary called Glenn and Rosalind Simms and Kira's parents (who were thoroughly put out at having to come to Spencer because it interrupted some work venture or another). As soon as they were all settled in his office, Provost Higgins started off on a long winded speech about how Spencer students must respect each other as much as they respect their professors and Spencer itself. He condemned their actions and said that they would receive consequences.

"Is there anything you would like to say before I hand out punishments, young ladies?"

"Yes," Raven said, "there is something I would like to say." Provost Higgins looked expectant, as if readying himself for Raven's apology, "This… was not my fault." The Provost looked startled for a moment before regaining his composure, "I don't make excuses," Raven continued, "If I'm at fault for something, I hold myself accountable, but I didn't do anything wrong. My actions were purely self-defense. You can see for yourself on the parking lot cameras that _she _attacked me. I tried walking away multiple times and every time, Kira attacked me again."

"Blaming the whole thing on Kira does not show good character, young lady," Kira's pompous, stuck-up-her-own-ass mother replied.

Raven repressed the desire to roll her eyes, "Take a look at the security footage and tell me if I'm wrong. Like I said, I take responsibility for my wrong doing. I am not at fault for anything other than trying to protect myself from an unprovoked attack."

Her words gave Provost Higgins pause and he ordered one of his office underlings to bring him the tape from the parking lot from that afternoon. When it was brought to him, he placed it in the television on the wall and watched as Raven was proven correct. After a moment of deliberation, during which Kira's parents sat rigid and stone faced as if trying not to shout and scream, Provost Higgins spoke again, "This is a difficult situation. Ms. Snider, it is clear to me that for whatever reason, you attacked Ms. de Mon without physical provocation. Whatever was said, there was no reason for physical violence." Kira tried and failed to keep the sneer off of her face, "You ladies are seniors and I expect you to be role models for everyone here at Spencer. As this is the first demerit against either of you, I will be lenient. Ms. Snider, you are to receive one week in-school suspension," Kira and her parents gasped in horror, "when typically an infraction like this merits anything from two weeks suspension to expulsion." Kira bit her tongue.

He turned then to Raven, "Ms. de Mon, I understand that you attempted to do what was right, but you should have, at least, called for security." Raven raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what he was saying, "That being said, you are to complete three days of after school detention."

"Why?" Raven asked, "Because I didn't call for security? I was trying to not get my hair ripped out or my face punched."

"Raven, dear," Rosalind said in a quiet voice. Raven bit her tongue.

"I'm sorry you take issue with your punishment, Ms. de Mon, but you could have handled the situation better." Raven bit down on her tongue harder and tasted blood. Could have handled the situation better, her ass. If anyone should have called for security, it should have been any of the idiots watching the fight. And, honestly, if she hadn't handled it as well as she did, Kira would have broken bones by the end of it.

Releasing her tongue from the hold between her teeth, Raven tried to calm herself, but she couldn't stop the feeling of hate and anger rising in her chest. As the feeling grew, clouds began to gather in the sky outside of Provost Higgins' window. Thunder clapped and lightning struck. The wind blew harshly and Raven could see people running for cover against bullet-like raindrops.

Rosalind and Glenn cast worried glances in Raven's direction, but she shook her head as slightly as possible. She wasn't doing this… She couldn't be. She tried to take a deep breath and the feeling in her chest dissipated slightly, but the thunderstorm didn't stop. She also realized that the metallic taste of blood hadn't left her mouth. Her tongue was still bleeding.

"My word… What strange weather." Provost Higgins mused, "Well, everyone should return home before this gets any worse. Ms. Snider, Ms. de Mon, you will begin your detentions starting Monday in the library. Ms. Peaks will know to expect you." Raven had to stop herself form chuckling. Ms. Imogene Peaks was Spencer's extremely aged library. She wouldn't mind Raven sitting around and doing her homework since she would only be there for an hour and half after school, but she would probably have Kira help her put away books (particularly on the top shelves) and other things her age hindered her from doing.

"Yes, sir," Raven replied as Kira murmured something similar. Raven followed Glenn and Rosalind in the direction opposite Kira and her parents.

When they were alone, Raven looked out the window again as the storm proceeded to worsen, "I swear, I'm not trying to do that!" Raven said in a worried whisper, "It's not natural because I can't control it and it feels like it's coming from me, but I can't make it stop."

"Do you think this has to do with your power surges?" Glenn asked in a whisper as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Raven shook her head, unsure of what to say, and jumped in fear when the lightning struck a top branch of one of the trees in the Spencer courtyard, sending it crashing to the ground.

C-C-C

To anyone passing by, they would have looked like any typical young couple enjoying camping in the Adirondack Mountains before the weather turned too cold. Most people would be very, very wrong.

The seemingly unassuming dark haired couple cuddled on a blanket just outside their tent, watching the sun go down. The boy ran his hand through his girlfriend's hair, kissing her gently on the temple, "So, how did today go?" He asked quietly, with genuine interest.

The girl chuckled contently, "She is so close to snapping, I can taste it. She got a 'surprise' visit from her deadbeat dad yesterday. It really rattled her. And today, Kira Snider threatened to turn her in for "drug use" which was, of course, a total lie on Kira's part, but the Universal's reaction made Kira go off. She physically attacked her." The boy chuckled, "The Universal got so worked up over the attack and the fact that she got detention for it –and I'll hand it to her, I would be pissed too- that it was only too easy to tap into her powers to freak her out."

"What'd you do?"

The girl smirked, "Well, they're currently having a major thunderstorm in the Ipswich-Gloucester area. Rain, lightning, thunder, high winds… and she can't stop it. Neither will the other two Universals, if they try." The boy opened his mouth, but the girl had predicted his question. "Oh, she knows it's because of her power, she just can't control it"

"So, you're done with the surges?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "Of course not. They're freaking her out. I just thought I'd shake it up a bit. Keep her on her toes, as it were."

"You, my darling, are absolutely devious," The boy replied before leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips.

She smiled under his kiss. When he pulled away, she said, "Well, after what she did, she deserves it. And, even better, I'm getting close to them." The boy raised his eyebrows, "They all consider me a friend. The boys adore me and Kate and Sarah are planning a girl's night out where we all get together without the boys. There will be movies, ice cream, gossip… All those fun things that we girls do when we get together."

The boy rolled his eyes, "Sounds like a blast."

The girl replied seriously, "If there are rom-coms, I'm killing myself."

The boy chuckled, "Yeah… Good luck with that," He said, the look in his eye reminding her that he, in fact, knew how hard she and her kind were to kill. With a smirk, he pulled her close and kissed her gently on the neck. She let out a satisfied moan. Quick as a flash, he was to his feet and pulling her into his arms. She squealed as he carried her bridal style towards their tent, the sun setting behind them in an almost picturesque scene.

The door flaps of the large tent were pushed open as the boy made his way inside. He caught sight of the immaculately made queen-sized mattress and looked down at his girlfriend with questioning eyes, "What?" She asked, "I'm not sleeping on the ground. I told you that."

"So you materialized an entire bed set?"

"Yeah," She said, as if it were the most obvious and frequent thing in the world, "If I didn't, I would have bugged you the whole time and you would have gotten cranky. I do not need a cranky boyfriend on a romantic trip."

The boy sighed and nodded. She wasn't lying. She would have done nothing but nag if she had had to sleep on the ground and as much as he loved her, he didn't necessarily love her nagging. It had been hard enough to convince her to go camping with him to begin with. She wasn't exactly the hugest fan of the woods to begin with.

Placing her gently on the made-up mattress, the boy kissed her down her neck into her cleavage. She moaned lightly as he grazed his teeth across the soft, supple flesh. His hand slid up her thigh, over her hip, and across her stomach under her shirt. He grasped the raised hem of her shirt and swiftly pulled it over her head. She chuckled as he playfully attacked her torso. He couldn't see the lustful gleam in her eye before she abruptly flipped him over on his back.

He gasped slightly as she grinned like a lion that had captured its prey. She leaned down and captured his lips in a heated, passionate kiss. Their lips and tongues engaged in battle as they removed each other's clothing and strewn them haphazardly around the tent. Their naked bodies molded together as they slipped under the blanket.

The girl pulled away with one last kiss, yet another animal-like grin spread across her face. Her boyfriend moaned and panted as her lips made their way down his neck and across his chest, lingering seductively on his nipple before continuing downward. A guttural groan built in his throat as her perfect lips wrapped around his hardening member. His hands gripped the sheets, knuckles practically glowing white as his girlfriend did her dirty deed.

A familiar feeling boiled in the pit of his stomach and made its way downward. He gasped and groaned, feeling as if he were going to explode. Then, in a flash, she was back up, kissing his neck, "You… didn't finish…" He managed to breathe out.

She chuckled, "You want to be done so quickly? That's not like you," She moaned sensuously in his ear, "We have all night. I'm going to make you wait for it." She added, pulling up to look in his eyes.

"Mean," He said, leaning up and capturing her lips in yet another kiss.

"Like you've ever complained before…" She added during a quick breather before kissing him again. She ground her hips against his, making him once again gasp with pleasure, before materializing a knife and slashing shallowly across his chest.

He groaned at the sensation, causing her to smile maniacally, "So, we're doing it that way?" He asked, a smirk crossing his lips. Her smile morphed into innocence as looked between him and the knife, "Have your fun now, love. Next time, we're doing things my way."

"I look forward to it," She said as she made nicks down his torso. He closed his eyes, relishing in the pain as it made his blood pump harder. Every little cut she made only made him want her more in the most primal and erotic ways.

"You drive me crazy." He said, unable to get his voice above a whisper, "I love you."

She smirked, leaned down, and cut him once more on the chest, "I love you, too," She whispered back before kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her and flipped her over, careful of the knife. He took it from her and nicked her just above her collar bone. She let out a slight, pleasure-filled gasp. He nicked her over and over. Soon the rush from the cuts was joined by the rush of him inside her. With each move of his hips, the duel jolt of pleasure from below and pain from above drove her nearly mad.

He tossed the knife aside as he laid his weight almost completely on her, still thrusting. Their raw wounds rubbed together as they held each other as close as possible. They were completely lost in each other; each thrust, moan, and touch were amplified so that nothing registered to them but each other.

The boy's lips moved down his girlfriend's neck and to his shoulder as her nails clawed into his back. He groaned, kissing her just beneath her jawbone. She moaned as she raked her nails up and down his back. In the ecstasy of the moment, found his ear and whispered, "I love you, Chase."


End file.
